


Inevitable-ON HIATUS

by crazykookie, whatthehale



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: All Human AU, Barista!Stiles, Calvin Klein models, Coffeeshop AU, Derek Needs To Use His Words, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Game of Thrones References, Gilmore Girls references, M/M, More tags/relationships as they come up, Romance, Slight Angst?, Who even knows, but actually GradStudent!Stiles, but not really, cliches, lawyer!derek, ridiculous nicknames, sterek au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 14:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 55,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/640028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazykookie/pseuds/crazykookie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatthehale/pseuds/whatthehale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles loves his friends, loves his job, loves being in school. He hasn't felt the itch to research like a manic person since high school. Yet when Mr. Tall, Dark, Brooding and Gorgeous starts coming into the coffee shop he works at, Stiles can't help but be curious.</p><p>Derek works on law briefs at the local coffee shop becuase working at the Hale Law Firm offices mean spending time with his over-bearing sister and uncle. It has nothing to do with the annoyingly talkative, yet ridiculously cute barista.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which We Meet Mr. TDBG

**Author's Note:**

> Because the Sterek fandom cannot have enough Coffeshop!AUs. 
> 
> Title for this fic inspired by one of my absolute favorite songs Inevitable by Anberlin. It makes me think of Sterek every time I hear it.  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuA3mDHEbTk

He was back again. It was the third day in a row that the Mr. Tall, Dark, Brooding and GORGEOUS was in the coffee shop Stiles worked at. The man ordered the same thing every time, a large coffee with three pumps of vanilla syrup (Stiles wondered what would happen if he put in four) and a blueberry muffin. Wordlessly, the man would pick up his drink and muffin, walk over to Stiles’s favorite cushy armchair in the back corner, pull out a sleek Macbook and proceed to stare at the screen for the next 4-5 hours without looking up once. Sometimes he pulled out an equally sleek cell phone and glowered as he listened to whoever was on the other line. He must have responded at some point, but Stiles had never actually seen his lips move. 

He never really spoke to Stiles either. The first day he came in, Stiles had put the man’s coffee on the counter with his usual, “Have a nice day!” and gotten no response. 

The second day, Stiles had tried a “Hi, how are you doing this fine morning?” only to be met by a curt “Large coffee, three pumps vanilla and a blueberry muffin.”

Today, Stiles asked, “Did you make some sort of weird resolution or something?” He adopted a deep voice, “If the world doesn’t end on December 21st, I will spare the world the agony of my voice and only talk when absolutely necessary.” 

Stiles didn’t think it was possible for a person to look completely confused yet absolutely terrifying at one time. All Mr. TDBG had done was crook an eyebrow, stare directly at Stiles and set his mouth in a straight line. 

“Yeah, yeah, large coffee, three pumps vanilla and a blueberry muffin coming right up.”

The man handed over a five dollar bill, eyebrows back to normal but mouth still set in that grim line. 

Stiles was hooked.There was something about the way his eyebrows furrowed in the middle of his forehead, his mouth set in a tight line while his light green eyes seemed curious but cautious, that had Stiles wishing he could research this man the way he researched any and everything that crossed his mind. He was too much his father’s son. Any time there was a mystery, he had to solve it.

“Stiles!!!! I know working at a coffee shop can be boring, but we have customers right now. Get your head in the game, Stilinski!” A hand smacked his arm and he flailed, losing his balance for a minute before turning to look at his co-worker, Allison Argent. Not just co-worker, but friend too, really close friend. He liked to think of her as his sister, and not just because she was engaged to his step-brother. Allison was one of the closest people in the world to him, and surprisingly, the one person he spent the most time with (although it makes sense considering she spent most of her waking hours at the coffee shop or at the apartment above it). 

“Sorry Alli! Customers, right, got it! Stilinski reporting for duty.” He saluted her clumsily and turned to the customer at the counter. He thought he saw Mr. TDBG looking at him out of the corner of his eye but he couldn’t concentrate on it at the moment. 

Forty-five minutes or so later, the morning rush had calmed down and Stiles was able to take a break. He pulled out his slightly beat up laptop and began scrolling through the articles he was supposed to be reviewing for a TA-ing session later. Despite having just received his BA in Education a year and a half ago, he found himself having to work hard to be able to TA the current Intro to Education lecture. Between his barista job, TA-ing for Professor Harris and working on his Master’s in Education, Stiles had very little free time, so he usually read through all his breaks at the coffee shop. 

“Stiles!” 

Stiles looked up slowly, wanting to finish the sentence he was reading, and was tackled from behind by strong arms and caught a glimpse of moppy brown hair through the corner of his eye. 

“Hey Scott, how’s it go-” Stiles started to greet his friend but by the time he properly looked up, Scott had already disappeared into the back room, presumably searching for his fiancee. When they appeared back in the front 30 seconds later, Stiles scowled in their general direction. 

“You know Scott, you aren’t technically allowed back here. Customers generally stay on that side of the counter” he said pointing away from the espresso machines. 

“Aww, come on Stiles! There have to be perks that come with dating the boss’s daughter!” Scott kissed Allison, who grinned at Stiles. 

“Yeah Stiles! And the boss’s daughter wants some time with her fiance to talk wedding plans, so why don’t you whip up our usuals and bring them to that table over there.” Winking, Allison grabbed Scott’s hand and the pair made their way over to a table in the corner. 

Stiles muttered under his breath, annoyed that his break had been interrupted but proceeded to make Allison’s large dolce latte and Scott’s small hot chocolate extra hot with extra whipped cream. He even went ahead and poured a large black hazelnut coffee for himself. It was about 10:50 and there most likely wouldn’t be anyone in until about 12 when the lunch rush started. 

“So what, the best man doesn’t get any say in the wedding plans?” he asked snarkily as he sat down, precariously balancing the three drinks. 

“Not if the BFOTB has any say in the matter” came a voice from behind him. 

“BFOTB, what the hell?” Stiles turned around. There stood all 5 feet 3 inches of strawberry blonde perfection in 6 inch heels that was Lydia freaking Martin. 

“Lydia!!! You made it!” Allison squealed delightedly. 

“Best Friend Of The Bride, sweetie. It is my responsibility to help plan this event. To talk through all the details, to taste the cake and pick the invitations, and to keep you,” (she turned to Scott) “the fiance of the bride, and you,” (she turned to Stiles) “the fashionably challenged best man from having to pretend to be interested in things that you have no interest in!” 

“But, wait-”

“No Stiles. I love you, but there is no way you are helping plan this wedding. If you had any say, the decorations would be IRON MAN red and gold and the cake would be shaped like the Millenium Falcon. Now run along and get me my extra-hot, half-caf, non-fat, no-whip, 3-pumps, peppermint WHITE chocolate mocha.” 

“Jesus, I forgot the white chocolate ONE TIME.” 

“Stiles, honey. Go.” She kissed him on the cheek and went to sit beside Allison. 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you mention Iron Man’s colors perfectly. If I’m a geek you are one too,” he muttered as he walked back behind the counter. 

“Geek is chic, darling. Just not at a wedding.” came the reply. 

“I think a cake shaped like the Millennium Falcon would be really cool” Scott said. Stiles just rolled his eyes and looked over at Mr. TDBG as he made Lydia’s drink. He was surprised to see the man was staring straight at him, eyebrows still furrowed and lips slightly parted.


	2. In Which There Are Schemes and Italian Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek, Isaac, Laura, Erica. Briefs. Muffins. Gossip. Scheming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sterek song of the day: Closing Time by Semisonic. 
> 
> Song: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8
> 
> A big, huge THANK YOU to everyone who read/commented/bookmarked/left kudos/subscribed to my first chapter!!! I love you all.

Derek watched the brunette barista walk over to the pretty redhead with a large mug of steaming coffee.

“Here you are Lydia, my queen.” The redhead rolled her eyes but smiled after she took a sip of the mocha.

“Geeky as hell, but you do make one damn good white mocha, babe." She pursed her lips. “Now, take Scott away so we can get some real work done.”

 _Of course he has a girlfriend_ , Derek thought as he watched the two boys get up and move toward the counter. The barista was cute, with warm, whiskey colored eyes and a silly smile that lit up his whole face. His short brown hair seemed perpetually messy, like he had just rolled out of bed. Derek had seen the boy look his way with interest a couple of times and he thought--well, it didn’t really matter what he thought. He came here because it was quiet and secluded, and most importantly far away from his annoying sister and uncle; NOT because of a cute barista.

He was distracted from his wandering thoughts as his phone buzzed insistently, lighting up with a picture of Belle from _Beauty and the Beast._

“Jesus Christ Laura, how many times are you going to change the contact info on my phone?” he hissed as he answered the call.

“Oh, calm down Der. It’s your own damn fault, I’ve told you a million times to password protect your phone. Where the hell are you? You haven’t been at work all week. Slacking already, baby bro?”

“Stop calling me baby bro.”

“Would you prefer Der-bear instead?”

He ignored her.

“Just because I haven’t been into the office doesn’t mean that I’m slacking. I’ve just been working elsewhere in the mornings.” He shut down and closed his laptop, sliding it into his leather messenger bag.

“Elsewhere, huh? How about you get your butt over to the office, I need the briefs you are prepping for my case. If you did an exceptional job on them, I may let you come to court with me.”

“Laura, there’s no way you you're going to keep me from attending this court case. And my work is always exceptional.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course you would be completely full of yourself after holding a law degree for all of 7 months.”

“Like 4 years is so many.” he deadpanned.

“Enough to be a partner baby bro.” she said proudly and Derek heard a man talking in the background. “Oh Derrie, I gotta go. I, uh, a client just walked in.”

He rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Yeah, see you in a bit.”

Derek grabbed his bag and drained the last sip of his (now cold) coffee. He set the mug on top of the plate that had once held his blueberry muffin (seriously the best thing Derek had ever tasted) and walked towards the exit. He noticed the two other boys talking as he moved, and the barista looked up as he opened the door.

“Good-bye sir! See you tomorrow!” The corners of Derek’s mouth threatened to lift in a small smile as he walked out but he didn’t acknowledge the good-bye. He was, however, pleased by the hopeful lilt in the boy's voice when he said “tomorrow.”

____________

 

After walking the three short blocks to the Hale & Hale Law Firm, Derek grabbed a coffee from the Starbuck's next door (a venti with three pumps of vanilla). It wasn't as good as the one he'd had this morning, but it was better than attempting to interact with his sister without a steady stream of caffeine in his veins. He entered his office and set down his bag, grabbed the briefs Laura had asked for, and made his way to her office.

"I don't know if tomorrow is going work out, I'll have to check with Erica and Derek..." Laura voice trailed off as her office door opened.

"Ask me what, Laura?" Derek looked up from the briefs and was surprised to see Isaac Lahey sitting in his sister's chair, with Laura perched on the desk next to him, a wide smile on her face.

"Isaac, what are you doing here? Don't you have class on Wednesdays?" Derek knew for a fact that Isaac had his Anatomy lab on Wednesday mornings, an hour long break for lunch and then lectures and study groups all afternoon.

"Hey Derek! Yeah, uhm, my afternoon lecture got cancelled so I came over here to see if you wanted to grab lunch!"

Derek's stomach growled suddenly as he realized that besides the heavenly blueberry muffin from earlier, he hadn't actually eaten anything substantial, despite being awake for over 6 hours.

"Actually Lahey, thats not a bad idea. Where did you have in mind?"

Isaac looked up at him wide-eyed and said sheepishly, "Well, uh, actually I kinda came here an hour ago? And Laura and I went out to eat when I realized you weren't here. I'm actually about to head back over to campus. I'm meeting up with my lab partner Danny to get a head start on our lab report." Isaac turned to Laura, whispered a quick "bye" as he got up and made his way over to Derek.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow? I'll tell Erica to expect me for dinner." Isaac gave him a quick hug and left, leaving Derek puzzled and slightly annoyed as he turned to his sister.

"That was kind of weird wasn't it?" he asked Laura.

She look up at him, no longer smiling, "What, weird that Isaac isn't following you around like a little puppy anymore? He didn't have a lot of time for lunch and I was hungry, so we went together."

Derek was startled. "No, not that Laura...just, didn't he seem a little, I don't know, distracted to you?"

"I didn't notice." Laura said coolly.

"What did you guys talk about during lunch?"

"We mostly just talked about his classes and a couple of my cases. I think he's a little stressed about a test coming up or something."

Derek eyed his sister, "If something was up, you'd tell me, right?"

"Of course Derek, I know half the time you think Isaac is your little brother instead of Erica's." When the Reyes family adopted an 8 year old Isaac, he had been moody and withdrawn, but had hero-worshipped Derek. The only person he spoke to for a long time after the adoption was Derek; and they'd been close ever since. "If something was up, you'd know about it. He's a med student, he's bound to be a little stressed now and then."

Relieved, Derek took a seat across his sister, "Okay, lets go over this research."

______________________________

 

Around 7 or so, Laura slammed her laptop shut. "I'm done for the day. I can't research anymore. Class dismissed!"

Derek looked at her, "Class dismissed Laura, really?"

"I don't know Der-bear. It's been a long day."

He smirked. "By the way, where's Uncle Peter?" Derek stretched and started packing away the briefs he wanted to take home with him.

"He's another one that's been slacking! I see him around his office every now and then, but he always seems to dissapear. He's definitely spending more time elsewhere than he is at the office." Laura narrowed her eyes. "Speaking of spending time elsewhere, where have you been these past few mornings? I'd say you were getting some, but I talked to Erica and she said you slept at home the last three nights."

"God, Lo, I'm not 'getting some' as you so eloquently put it. I just found this small coffee shop that is quiet and close by so I've been researching there in the mornings." Derek groaned. "Please stop talking to Erica about my love life. If I wanted you to know about it, I'd tell you myself."

"Jeez baby bro, don't be so touchy. I was just curious."

"Sorry, been a long day for me too, I guess. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep." He gave her a kiss on her cheek and she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist for a second. "Love you Derek" she murmmered as he walked out the door.

"Love you too, Lo."

____________________

As Derek walked home, he contemplated stopping by the coffee shop one more time. It was on his way, and he knew they didn't close until at least 9pm. As he walked close to it and peered inside, he saw the female barista with the long, dark brown hair behind the counter. No one else was there. _Three coffees really is too many for one day_ he reasoned as he walked past.

As he entered his aparment, he was hit with an amazing smell.

"DJ, is that you?? Come quick and taste my risotto!" Derek slipped off his shoes and jacket, unbuttoned his top button and rolled up his sleeves to the elbow as he made his way over to the kitchen.

He had just entered and was reaching towards the cabinet for a glass when his hand was slapped out of the way. He looked over at his apartment-mate/best friend/honorary sister, Erica Reyes and was handed a glass of red wine and a spoon.

"Drink first, then taste."

He obediently took a sip of the wine, and then tasted the mushroom risotto.

"Damn, Erica. Exquisite as usual. Is this a new recipe?"

She beamed at him, eyes glinting. "Not a new recipe, just used a different wine; a Pinot Bianco instead of the usual Verdicchio. I can't believe you noticed."

"It's excellent. I'm just going to go change and then I'll be out to eat." As Derek walked towards his room, he saw the table had already been set for dinner. He smiled, his first real smile all day.

"I swear to God Reyes, asking you to move in with me was the best idea I ever had."

"Damn straight, Hale. Now hurry up, I'm hungry!"

He changed as quickly as he could, swapping his dress pants for loose, comfortable sweatpants and his shirt for his favorite long sleeved grey Henley. He took off his contacts, washed his face quickly, and put on his dark rimmed glasses before sliding his bare feet into a pair of worn flip-flops and heading back out to the kitchen.

Erica was sitting at the table, the risotto and a salad on serving plates and two glasses of wine already by their plates. As he sat down, she began to serve them both generous amounts of salad.

Derek looked up at her curiously. While she normally made dinner, tonight seemed different, almost like she was buttering him up for something.

"Alright Reyes, spit it out."

She looked him straight in the eye and looked far too innocent as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about D."

"The wine, making my favorite dinner, serving me? Something is up _E_ , you aren't exactly subtle."

"Well, I talked to Laura today." _Now we're getting somewhere_ , Derek thought.

"Yeah, and what did my sister say?"

"She thinks you are seeing someone."

Derek looked at her incredulously, then slapped a palm over his face.

"I mean, it's okay if you are, just...why didn't you tell me about it? We tell each other everything D!"

"Erica, I'm not seeing anyone."

"Why does Laura think you are then?" Erica's eyes didn't leave his once as she waited for his answer.

"I don't know." he lied. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to tell her about the coffee shop.

"Don't bullshit me D."

 _I should've known that wasn't going to work_. "I've been working on briefs at a coffee shop in the mornings. It's quiet, and Laura and Peter aren't always breathing down my neck, and the blueberry muffins are to die for," he admitted reluctantly.

"Oh, well that's not a big deal at all I don't know why you-" her eyes narrowed. Derek opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to say anything. "There's more to this story D, there's something you aren't telling me."

There wasn't any more. "Really Erica, that's it. Isaac told me last weekend about a place that served amazing coffee and that it was quiet and small. I didn't tell you, or anyone else becuase I don't want Laura or Peter showing up there to annoy me."

He took a sip of wine then, to prevent himself from saying anything about sparkling amber eyes and a crooked grin. Erica was still watching his face closely.

"Well, if there truly is nothing else happening, then maybe I'll join you tomorrow."

Derek rolled his eyes, trying not to show his panic. "Erica, I go there to work. I can't have you distracting me."

"Tell you what. You leave here at ridiculously early hours anyways. Laura says you don't come into the office until about 1 or 2 so I'll come meet you at noon for lunch; you have to eat right? I make you dinner every night, it's about time you bought me a meal!"

Derek groaned but said nothing as he dug into his salad. Once Erica set her mind on something, there was no going back. He just hoped that the day would pass without an embarassing incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, that turned out longer than I expected....but OBVIOUSLY theres way more to say about Laura, Isaac and Erica than Scott and Allison. LMAO. Hope you like it!
> 
> Also, in case you were wondering, Erica called Derek DJ because in this fic, his name is Derek James Hale. Personally, I have a thing for nicknames (I give literally ALL my friends nicknames) so there's gonna be a lot of silly nicknames in this fic.


	3. In Which Erica Figures It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the previous two, mainly because it's Erica's POV instead of Stiles's or Derek's. The next chapter is Stiles POV and I'm already working on it. Its going to be a LOT longer and I mayyyyyy put it up later today, if I finish at a decent time. Stiles is the easiest for me to write, so we'll see. =)

Erica woke up the next morning to her phone ringing shrilly in her ear. She glanced at the screen before smiling and picking up the call.  
  
"Hey Izzy! What's up?"  
  
"Not much, what are you doing today?"  
  
"I'm meeting DJ for an early lunch, and then I have a shoot at 2:30. Why?  
  
"Nothing really, I ran into Derek yesterday and told him I might come by for dinner. But if you're busy in the afternoon, no worries! I can come another night."  
  
"Noooo, Izzy please come tonight! I haven't seen you in ages! I should be home by no later than 5 and Derek will probably be in around 6 or 7. You can come anytime after 5. "  
  
"You sure, sis? I don't wanna make you cook if you are gonna be tired from work."  
  
"Isaac, work for me means posing and standing still. I would love to cook for you tonight. You better be here by 6."  
  
"Okay, okay.  So, uh, anything else new with you?"  
  
"No, not really. I finally got my stuff all moved in at DJ's. I'm really glad I'm not living in LA anymore."  
  
"Yeah, it's really nice having you close by. Bet Derek likes it too."  
  
Erica snorted. "Derek just likes having me there to cook for him."  
  
"Him and me both, Er. Anyways, gotta go, class is starting soon!"  
  
"By Iz. See you later!"  
  
"Later."  
  
Erica hung up the phone, checking the time before getting up. It was 10:50. She had about an hour to get dressed before leaving for the coffee shop to meet Derek.  
  
She showered quickly and towel-dried her hair as she stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. She finally settled on a lacy lilac skirt, a white v-neck, black stiletto-heeled boots and her favorite black leather jacket that Derek had bought her for her birthday a couple years ago. She carefully applied black eyeliner and mascara and lightly colored lip gloss, to make her brown eyes pop and her lips look soft and pink. She glanced at the mirror as she walked out of her bedroom door, smiling to herself about how drastically her style had changed after becoming an actress. In high school she had been all about frumpy sweatshirts and loose fitting jeans; joining the modeling agency and getting cast in a TV series had drastically improved her confidence. She could finally be "girly" but with an edge-a style she had been too afraid and shy to try in high school.  
  
She entered the kitchen just as the digital clock on the stove changed to 11:47. She couldn't have timed it better. She grabbed her keys and purse from the living room and headed out the door.  
  
––––––––––––––––––  
  
When Erica got to the coffee shop, she was surprised to see Derek waiting outside looking around nervously instead of sitting inside, glued to his laptop. His hair was messy like he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly, something she knew he only did when he was feeling anxious. She hadn't seen him this worked up since _Bitch-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ , and frankly, it worried her. She tried not to show it when she walked up to him.  
  
"Hey D! What are you doing standing outside?" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the door to the shop.  
  
"Erica, I thought we were going out to lunch. This place doesn't really have anything." He lifted his left arm like he was going to play with his hair, but saw her watching him and dropped it.  
  
"You're kidding right? Isaac raves about this place, and even _you_ like it enough to come four days in a row. There's no way I'm not getting some coffee, Der." She entered the place, dragging him behind her.  
  
Erica sauntered up to the counter, where a cute guy with a buzz cut and a Batman T-shirt was flicking his eyes between her face and where she was holding Derek’s hand.  
  
She grinned. “Hey, Batman,” She gave him a slow once over. “I love your tee.” She felt Derek stiffen beside her, and his hand left hers quickly. She ignored him and locked eyes with the barista.  
  
“Hi, uh--”  
  
“Erica”  
  
“Hi Erica, what can I get for you two today?” The boy had seamlessly switched from a look of uneasiness to a polite smile.  
  
“Well, I don't know about D here, but I'll have a triple espresso.” She turned to Derek, who was blushing lightly. _Well, this was interesting._ Erica watched closely as the barista looked over at Derek.

"Erica, really? A triple espresso? You are going to be annoying as hell later. Didn't you have some coffee at home?"

"No.  _Someone,"_ (she glared at Derek) "didn't set the dishwasher last night like they promised, and there were no clean mugs this morning."

Derek rolled his eyes and turned to the barista. 

“Another large coffee sir?” the barista asked, face and eyes devoid of any emotion.    
  
“No. I’m fine.” Derek looked at her, “Erica, just get your drink so we can go. I’m hungry”  
  
“Well sir, we do have quite a nice selection of-”  
  
“No, that’s fine. Just her drink.” Erica was amazed. Derek was being rude as hell while _full-on blushing_ and the barista was looking surprised and a little offended. She turned back to the barista and handed him a $10.  
  
“I guess I’ll be taking it to go. Keep the change, cutie.” Erica was absolutely delighted as she saw the boy’s blush start on his cheeks and spread down to his neck. He turned to the espresso machine to grab her drink. She looked over at Derek, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the barista the entire time.  
  
“Uhm, here you are. Have a nice day!” the barista handed her a small to-go cup and smiled politely. Derek grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the exit. She slipped out of his grasp and went back to lean over the counter.  
  
“Wait, you haven’t told me your name yet,” she said flirtatiously. “I can’t keep calling you the ‘cute brown eyed barista’ in my head now, can I?”  
  
She was pleased when he grinned, making his eyes sparkle. “Sorry Erica, but I think I like Batman better.”  
  
“Well, I guess I can do that." She winked, "See you around, Mr. Wayne.”  
  
When she turned around, she saw Derek was already outside. She sipped her espresso as she took her time walking out to join him.  
  
“Oh my god, you _like_ him!!!!!” she squealed when she had finally reached Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This nicknames thing is hard!!! I can't think of what people should call Erica...suggestions? 
> 
>  
> 
> So in case any of you are wondering, the coffee shop I'm picturing in this is a mix between the coffee shop Emily works at on the show Pretty Little Liars and a coffee shop in Santa Cruz, California (where I live) called Verve Coffee. 
> 
> Pics of the Pretty Little Liars shop:
> 
> http://bandbent.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/307509_10151214405935233_623712733_n.jpg
> 
> Pics of Verve Coffee: 
> 
> http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/26/t-magazine/26calif-strand/26calif-strand-custom2.jpg
> 
> http://archrecord.construction.com/features/GDGB/2012/images/Verve-Coffee-Roasters-300px.jpg
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/xbleh/6401076487/
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/10384720@N00/7865500644/
> 
> So apparently there aren't that many google images of the shop from PLL so basically I'm thinking of the Verve Coffee layout with random squashy cushiony chairs.


	4. In Which Batman Makes An Appearance. Kinda.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles POV. This starts the morning of Derek's fourth day in the coffee shop and explains Stiles's POV during Erica's visit as well as some stuff before & after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I know this was supposed to be up two days ago, but it took me forever to get the conversation and characterizations right. BUTTTT, on a more positive note, this chapter officially DOUBLES my word count; it's as long as the first three combined... So maybe, hopefully, that makes up for it??? 
> 
>  
> 
> And maybe, possibly, you guys could comment? I would love to hear what you have to stay about my story/characters!!!!

Stiles was annoyed. It was too fucking early, and he was so damn tired. After finishing his shift at the coffee shop yesterday, he went straight to the campus library, trying to finish the reading for the class he was TA-ing as well as cruising the library catalogues for books and articles he could use to write his thesis. After 4 hours that felt like 40, it was time to go teach his section. He loved undergrads most of the time, they were eager to learn and teach and make a difference. This week was different though. Their first midterm paper was due next week, and it seemed like each one of them wanted Stiles’s opinion on their papers. Because he felt bad helping some students and not others, he resigned himself to staying for office hours until he had helped every student.  
  
He hadn’t gotten home until past midnight. His jeep was in the shop, and catching a bus from campus at 11 at night was damn near impossible. He did little more than brush his teeth and wash his face before collapsing in his unmade bed, utterly exhausted.  
  
He reached the coffee shop at 5:50 that morning. Technically it didn’t open until 6, but he knew Allison counted on him being there around 5:15 to help bake pastries for the day. He couldn’t cook for shit, but he was the best damn baker around. He remembered countless times in high school where he bribed Scott into doing something for him with the promise of a red velvet cake. Once, he even managed to convince Lydia to pretend to be his girlfriend for a couple weeks when his douchebag cousins from New York visited; all he had to do was promise to bake her his special crumbly cinnamon swirl coffee cake.  
  
“Oh thank god,” Allison exclaimed as he walked in, “Dad, put the flour down. Stiles is here.” She turned to Stiles, taking in the bags under his eyes, and the slightly wrinkly shirt he’d thrown on in his haste to get to work. “Everything okay Stiles, you look beat.”  
  
“Yeah Alli, just had a late night.” She look guilty.  
  
“I’m supposed to be training all day starting at 10; should I cancel? You don’t look like you’re going to make it the whole day.”  
  
 _Crap_. He’d forgotten it was Thursday. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth down the crazy bed head he just knew he was sporting.  
  
“No, don’t do that. It’ll be fine. Scott gets off of work at 2 today, and he knows how to use the espresso machines. And maybe I can even convince Lydia to come in and help a little too. She’s miles ahead of where she needs to be on her Master’s research, and she’s a lot better than Scott is at making drinks.”  
Allison looked apprehensive, “Well, if you’re sure. I don’t think Dad was planning on staying much longer.”  
  
“I am,” he began. “Although, if you could bring me a large coffee to the back while I start baking, I will love you forever.”  
  
“No prob.” She grinned, “You better go make that coffee cake; you and I both know it’s the only way you are going to get Lydia in here on her day off from school.”  
  
_________________________  
  
Two hours later, Stiles’d had two large coffees, and was finally beginning to feel like himself. He’d made a huge coffee cake, setting some aside for Lydia and Scott before putting the majority in the display case next to the muffins he baked, his treats in between the bagels they ordered in and the croissants that were Allison’s speciality. He’d spoken with Lydia and Scott and they both promised to come by later so he could have some extra breaks. Even Danny had texted him, telling him he would come by later for a study session with his lab partner. If Danny was coming, then Jackson was too. He quickly set aside some more coffee cake, Jackson had the biggest sweet tooth of anyone Stiles knew.  
  
It was nearly 8, and most of the business professionals who came in for a cup of coffee before work had filtered out. There were some students scattered across the tables and curled up in armchairs with large text books. It was quiet, only the gurgling hum of the coffeemaker and soft sounds of the 70s classic rock radio station Stiles liked. He felt his eyes start to droop; he wanted a nap desperately. He knew that he could maybe manage a break before Allison left at 10, they didn’t usually get too many customers between 8 and 10; nothing she couldn’t handle by herself.  
  
He heard the door open then, and reluctantly opened his eyes. At first he thought he was dreaming. Mr. TDBG ( _he really needed to learn this guy’s name!_ ) was walking through the door and he looked--well, he looked _delicious_. He wasn’t in a suit like he normally was, but was wearing impossibly tight jeans that hugged his thighs perfectly, a deep olive green button up dress shirt with a skinny black tie under a silver waistcoat. The combination of the green shirt and silver vest made his beautiful green eyes absolutely pop; Stiles almost couldn’t tear his gaze away. He glanced up though, and saw that the man’s usually perfectly gelled hair was messy, curling slightly around his forehead, while still adorably spiky in front. It looked like someone had been running their hands through it. _Stiles_ wanted to run his hands through it. He wanted to jump over the counter and _pounce_ , not caring that he didn’t know the man’s name, not caring that he was probably straight with a gorgeous girlfriend (or wife, the man was definitely at least 2-3 years older than Stiles). He wasn’t the least bit tired anymore, he felt fucking _electric._  
  
“Uhm, hello?” Stiles focused. This beautiful man was talking to him and he was just staring like an idiot.  
“Sorry, sir. How are you today?”  
  
“Just fine. Could I get a large coffee with three pumps of vanilla, and--” the man stopped, noticing there were no blueberry muffins in the display case today. Stiles blushed.  
  
“Uh, sorry but I guess we don’t have blueberry muffins today. It’s a long story; I was late, and Chris can’t bake, and Allison was worried. There were burnt chocolate chip cookies, and the place smells, and who the hell even manages to burn chocolate chip cookies, right? And then _Lydia_ needed her damn coffee cake, and that shit takes forever to get perfect. Basically, it was all the stupid undergrads’ fault,” he babbled, and felt his blush deepen.  
  
The man smirked and _jesus fucking christ_ that was a beautiful image. “It was the undergrads’ fault?”  
  
Stiles faltered, “Uhm, yes?”  
  
“Okay, how about some of that coffee cake then? We can’t let all your hard work go to waste.” _Holy shit_ was this beautiful man actually _flirting_ with him?  
  
Stiles smiled, ridiculously pleased. “Coming right up sir. If you don’t like the cake, it’s on the house. Chris is rich as hell, he can deal.”  
  
“Thanks,-’  
  
“Stiles. Stiles Stilinski. Stiles isn’t my first name my first name is terrible and another long story,” he stopped himself. “You can call me Stiles.”  
  
“Well, thank you Stiles Stilinski.”  The man grabbed the coffee and the cake that Allison placed on the counter, and wandered past all the tables to the armchair that Stiles had come to think of as his spot. He took a bite of the cake smiled, and drank a large sip of the coffee before pulling out his laptop. Stiles wondered what he did for a living, what he was doing on computer and _dammit_ , he’d had the perfect opportunity to ask the gorgeous man for his name and he had blown it.  
  
“His last name is Hale.” a voice murmured behind him. Stiles jumped, he didn’t understand how Allison always seemed to know what his was thinking.  
  
“What?” he asked.  
  
“He’s Peter Hale’s nephew. I can’t remember his first name, just that when Peter worked for us, he was in Yale Law school.” Stiles remembered that vaguely. It had been about 3 years ago, the summer after Stiles’s sophomore year in college.  
  
“Peter’s the lawyer who-” Stiles hesitated.  
“The lawyer who helped get us the restraining order against Kate when she tried to steal all the insurance money from my mother’s death?” Allison’s normally warm hazel eyes were as cold as steel. Stiles felt guilty about bringing it up. “Yep. He’s the one. His niece was shadowing him at the time, she’s older. I think her name was Laura or something.” Stiles latched on to the change in subject.  
  
“Oh yeah Laura Hale, damn that girl was hot. Their family has ridiculous genes.” He remembered Laura, remembered her long black hair, exactly the same shade of black as her brother, her full lips, usually curved into a mischievous smile and her emerald green eyes, darker but no less mesmerizing than her brother’s. He had been intimidated as hell by her, and prayed to God that she never met Lydia. Those two would be a freaking force of nature.  
  
Allison smiled slowly. “You have a type don’t you? Intimidating personalities with green eyes?”  
  
Stiles choked on the sip of coffee he took, spluttering as he tried to look at Allison innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
“Sure you don’t,” she teased, glancing over to where Hale was sitting. Stiles saw that the coffee cake was gone, there weren’t even any traces of crumbs on the plate.  
  
_______________________________________  
  
  
He did manage to get a nice long 30 minute nap in before Allison left for training, stretching out on the worn couch in the back corner of the kitchen. He was still tired when he woke up, but felt a lot better compared to that morning. He worked efficiently after Allison left, a few customers here and there, even managing to catch up on all his reading.  
  
At about 11:50, Hale brought his mug and plate up to the counter, looked at Stiles quickly like he was going to say something, but then turned and moved towards the door running his hands through his hair. _Damn, that is almost a better view than the one from this morning_ , Stiles thought as Hale left. He expected Hale to turn right and walk away like he normally did, but instead he just stood outside the coffee shop, running his hands through his hair, fiddling with the zip on his messenger bag, and looking all around uncomfortably for about 15 minutes.  
  
Stiles should’ve come to the conclusion that Hale was waiting for someone, but was surprised when a gorgeous blonde with perfect hair and long legs in stiletto boots walked up to the man and kissed his cheek. The girl (his girlfriend, Stiles thought dejectedly) grabbed his hand and started walking towards the door. Stiles couldn’t explain the emotions coursing through him, couldn’t explain the ridiculous notion of _possession_ overcoming him; he’d never been a jealous boyfriend, how could he possibly be possessive now, over something that isn’t even his; some _one_ he wasn’t even dating?

  
The two of them walked in, and Stiles tried to wipe the emotion from his face, but couldn’t help but look at the gorgeous blonde, and then lower, where she and Hale were holding hands. She was walking confidently up to the counter, still dragging Hale behind her.  
  
She looked at him appraisingly, and he saw her eyes move down the length of his body. He didn’t know whether to be pleased, offended, or confused. Why was this gorgeous girl with a Greek God for a boyfriend checking _him_ out?  
  
“Hey Batman,” she purred. _Whoa_ , she was definitely flirting with him; it was the second time today that someone who should be in a freaking _Giorgio Armani_ ad was flirting with him. Maybe he _was_ dreaming. “I love your tee.” Yep, definitely dreaming. She locked eyes with him, and he couldn’t bring himself to glance at Hale.  
  
“Hi, uh--”  
  
She smiled. “Erica”  
  
“Hi Erica, what can I get for you two today?” He smiled politely, figuring it was the most neutral thing he could do.  
  
“Well, I don’t know about D here,” Stiles finally flicked his eyes to Hale, D. Hale, if the initial was anything to go by, curiosity flooding through him. Daniel? Drew? Damon? “but I’ll have a triple espresso.”  
  
Stiles was about to speak, but before he could- “Erica really? A triple espresso? You are going to be annoying as hell later. Didn’t you have some coffee at home?” Stiles couldn’t help but notice the fondness when he spoke, even through the faux annoyance.  
  
“No. _Someone_ didn’t set the dishwasher last night like the promised, and so there were no clean mugs this morning.” Stiles heart sank. They were _definitely_ together, probably had been for a long time if the familiarity with how they treated each other was any indication. They even _lived_ together. _Hold it together Stilinski._  
  
“Another large coffee sir?” he asked, looking at Hale. He could be professional.  
  
“No, I’m fine. Erica, just get your drink so we can go. I’m hungry.”  
  
He didn’t know why he volunteered information, was he turning into a masochist? “Well sir, we do have quite a nice selection of-” He was cut off.  
  
“No, that’s fine.” Hale glared in his direction. Stiles wondered if he was annoyed by his girlfriend’s flirting from earlier. “Just her drink.”  
  
“I guess I’ll be taking it to go. Keep the change, cutie.” He blushed, and turned around quickly to make the triple espresso, working as fast as possible.  
  
“Uhm, here you are, have a nice day!” he said, handing her the drink and smiling professionally. Hale grabbed her hand and started to stalk towards the door, but Erica was looking back at Stiles. She slipped out of Hale’s grasp and strutted back over to Stiles. She leaned over the counter, coming closer to Stiles.  
  
“Wait,” she pouted, “You haven’t told me your name yet! I can’t keep calling you the cute brown-eyed barista in my head, now can I?” _Well fuck it,_ he thought. If she was going to insist on flirting with him, why the hell shouldn’t he flirt back? She was probably one of the hottest girls he had ever seen, and he spent most of his time with Lydia and Allison, so that was saying something.  
  
He smiled widely, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly when she looked pleased. They made his eyes look bigger, he knew, and made him more attractive. “Sorry Erica,” he said, with a mock grimace, “but I think I like Batman better.”  
  
Erica kept her attractive pout, “Well, I _guess_ I can do that.” She winked, and Stiles pinched himself, still not sure that this was real life. “See you around, Mr. Wayne,” she said finally, and turned, blonde hair flying behind her, and strutted out the door.  
  
Stiles knew he was being creepy but he continued to watch her as she walked up to Hale and said something to him in an excited manner. He glowered ( _he was so good at that_ ), turned and stalked away. Erica looked back at Stiles, winked, and followed her boyfriend.  
  
“Why the hell do you look like you have a concussion?” Stiles flailed, and focused on the figure standing in front of him. Lydia. Of course.  
  
“Dammit Lydia, how do you do that? I didn’t even hear you come in!”  
  
She rolled her eyes, and shrugged, “It’s not my fault you are the most unobservant person in the world, hon. But answer the question, Stilinski. Did it have something to do with that actress and her boyfriend who just left?”  
  
“She’s an actress? There’s no way.”  
  
Lydia looked at him like he was stupid. “She was on that show you were obsessed with, Stiles. The one on MTV.”  
  
“ _Jesus fucking christ_ , are you telling me that I just got hit on by _Erica fucking Reyes_? She has actually done a freaking _Giorgio Armani_ ad.” Lydia looked mildly interested.  
  
“She hit on you? Please tell me you weren’t your nerdy, fumbling self.” She gave him a once over. When Erica did it, it made him feel hot, it had boosted his self confidence. When Lydia did it, she made him feel like an awkward high school loser who wasn’t cool enough to hang out with the popular kids. “Oh my GOD, Stiles what is this T-shirt? I can’t believe you still wear this, Scott got it for you in _7th grade_!”  
  
He looked down. “I’ll have you know Lydia, that this shirt was the entire _reason_ I got hit on by a gorgeous actress-slash-model today. She liked it.” Lydia gave him a weird look, like he was a child she was indulging.  
  
“Stiles, sweetie, did you see the man she walked away with? I seriously doubt she was flirting with you.”  
  
Stiles jutted his chin out stubbornly, “She was _definitely_ flirting with me. When she left she said ‘see you around.’ Just you wait Lyds, she’ll be back. No one can resist the Stilinski charm.”  
  
Lydia snorted and quirked an eyebrow.  
  
“Why do you care anyways? Aren’t you all about the man-candy she had on her arm?” Stiles closed his eyes. Between Lydia and Allison he had absolutely no secrets. They weaseled things out of him and then compared notes, like his life was a hilarious soap opera they couldn’t get enough of.  
  
“Did Allison tell you?”  
  
“Allison knows about your crush? Dammit, I thought I was the only one.” Stiles didn’t know what was happening anymore.  
  
“How the hell do you know anything then, if Allison didn’t tell you?”  
  
“Oh my god Stiles, do you think you’re subtle or something? I saw the two of you stealing glances at each other _all morning_ yesterday.”  
  
Wait-- “The two of us???”  
  
“Well, yeah, that’s what confused me. He wasn’t looking at you like he had a ‘gorgeous actress-slash-model’ girlfriend waiting at home. He was looking at you like he wanted to unwrap you with his eyes, like you were the best fucking thing he’d ever seen in his life.” Stiles couldn’t believe what he was hearing. None of this made any sense.  
____________________________________  
  
A couple hours later, he was sitting at a table with Danny; Lydia had seen him falling asleep on his feet, and nudged him over to a squashy couch with a cup of tea. He wanted coffee, but she started lecturing about the effect of caffeine on neurotransmitters and chemical synapses and he took the tea just to shut her up. He was supposed to be reading his book on teaching social studies to K-6th graders, but was preoccupied when Isaac walked through the door. Stiles grinned, and stood to give him a hug.  
  
“Isaac, what’re you doing here? Man, it’s been way too long!” Isaac beamed, pleased by the affection in Stiles’s voice.  
  
“Danny’s my lab partner. I suggested we meet here to work on our lab report since I’m going over to my sister’s later. She lives a couple blocks down from here.”  
  
“Cool, man! We should hang out sometime. You know, sometime that isn’t when I’m supposed to be working and you aren’t studying..”  
  
“Definitely,” Isaac grinned shyly. “You still have my number right?”  
  
“Yep, I’ll text you. Do you want me to grab you a drink? I probably should get back to work now.”  
  
“Uhm yeah, a green tea please? Thanks Stiles!”  
  
Isaac went to go sit with Danny, giving Jackson a bro-nod as he walked past him, and Stiles walked back behind the counter where Lydia and Jackson were standing.  
  
Lydia peered at him curiously, “Is that the same Isaac you dated in sophomore year of college? Your RA, the one who you lost-”  
  
“ _YES_ Lydia, he’s the same one,” Stiles said quickly, not wanting Lydia to say any more in front of Jackson.  
  
Jackson snorted, “The one who you...lost your gay virginity to? You guys dated, fucked for awhile, and then decided you were better off as friends? I know all your secrets Stilinski. You are very chatty when you’re drunk.”  
  
Lydia looked amused, “He’s always chatty.”  
  
Stiles _really_ couldn’t believe this was his life.  
_____________________________  
  
It was about 5:30. There weren’t really any customers so all five of them (Stiles, Lydia, Jackson, Danny, and Isaac) were lounging at the tables, talking. Isaac and Danny were sitting next to each other, and Jackson kept throwing Isaac not-so-subtle glares. Finally, Isaac stood up.  
  
“Hey Jackson, do you wanna switch seats with me, Danny and I are finished with our report.”  
  
Jackson stood up immediately, taking Isaac’s spot next to Danny, pulling his boyfriend in for a long kiss.  
  
“Oh my god, Jackson. Quit being so damn possessive. We all know that you and Danny are going to be together forever.” Lydia scolded, but her eyes were amused.  
  
Suddenly the door open, and five pairs of eyes landed on the blonde in the doorway.  
  
“I knew it!” Stiles yelled. “I _told_ you she’d be back!” he hissed quietly to Lydia. Isaac got up and ran over to Erica.  
  
“Hey sis!” He grabbed Erica in a big bear hug, and then pulled her over to Stiles and his friends.  
  
Seriously. _What the fuck_ was Stiles’s life?  
  
“Hey Batman,” she cooed. “Who’s your friend?” Her eyes flitted to Danny and Jackson quickly, but landed on Lydia.  
  
Isaac answered for him. “That’s Stiles’s best friend Lydia, who is also Danny” (he pointed at Danny), “my lab partner’s housemate. The guy next to him is his boyfriend Jackson.”  
  
Erica looked at Stiles and Lydia critically, “Best friends? You guys aren’t together?”  
  
Stiles and Lydia looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
“No, Erica, Lydia’s mom and my mom were sisters. We're cousins and best friends, nothing more.”  
  
“Well, well, well, seems like its my lucky day!” Erica said, as she pulled a chair from another table and sat down in between Lydia and Stiles. She turned away from Stiles, focusing her eyes on Lydia and smiling playfully. “Hi, I’m Erica.”  
  
“Oh, I _know_ who you are.”  
  
“Really, now?”  
  
“The _Chanel_ spread you did in last month’s _Vogue_ was killer. I’m waiting for the spring line to come out so I can buy _that_ skirt.” Lydia looked at the lace skirt Erica was wearing with thinly veiled envy.  
  
“Oh, I can get one for you.”  
  
Lydia quirked an eyebrow, “You can? Really?”  
  
Erica put a hand on Lydia’s arm. “Absolutely. All you have to do is let me take you out to dinner.”  
  
Lydia smiled, “Are you asking me out?”  
  
“Yes. Are you saying yes?”  
  
“Definitely.”  
  
 _WHAT. THE. FUCK. What just happened?_  
  
“Uhm Erica,” Erica whipped her head around and looked at Stiles with a small, pleased smile on her face.  
  
“Yes, Batman?”  
  
“Aren’t you dating that guy? The one you were with this morning?”  
  
Isaac had been watching this exchange, and his eyes narrowed at the thought of Erica with some random guy. “You were with a guy this morning? Who was it?”  
  
“It was just DJ, Izzy.” She turned to Stiles, “That was _my_ best friend. We are most definitely not dating. That would be like dating Izzy here. Ew. Can I go back to talking to the hottest girl I’ve ever seen now?” Erica turned around and she and Lydia launched into a conversation about Vogue or Armani, or something. Stiles had stopped paying attention after Erica said ‘not dating’. That meant that Hale was single. And Stiles wasn’t sure, but he _hoped_ that meant he had a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sterek song of the day: Everlasting Light by The Black Keys
> 
> video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QzGvoUMBoA
> 
>  
> 
> The outfit Derek was wearing...with the vest and the tie, it was inspired by what Hoechlin wore on New Year's...he instagrammed a pic of himself, and my brain melted for about 2 hours. I literally couldn't think straight. LITERALLY. Anyways, Hoechlin is a gorgeous, gorgeous man and if I could dress him for a day, that's what he'd be wearing.


	5. In Which Derek is a Hot Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, don’t you look like a hot mess?” 
> 
> Of course Erica was there. Of course she had gone back. He turned around. He was surprised to see not only Erica, but Isaac standing just outside the entrance to the coffee shop. Erica was grinning knowingly and Isaac just looked from Derek’s annoyed face to Erica’s smug one, looking adorably confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY this is so late! School is kicking my ass. I will probably only update once a week now? But please please stick around, I have soooo much more story to tell!

Derek walked out of the coffee shop, not wanting to see Erica flirt even more with the barista.  _His_  barista. _Stiles_. It made him smile; he knew the kid’s name now. Stiles Stilinski. Granted, Stiles wasn’t his real name, but it was enough. For now.  
  
He thought he had done an okay job with his own subtle version of flirting earlier. The boy (Stiles!) had rambled adorably (dammit, when had he started thinking about the barista--Stiles-- as adorable?) about pastries and undergrads (what did that even mean?), and then had shoved the most delicious smelling coffee cake in his face in his enthusiasm. Or his caffeine high. Actually, Derek was guessing it was the second one; the guy worked in a coffee shop after all. Furthermore, when Stiles had introduced himself, and Derek smiled, he could see the pleased flush on the boy’s cheeks.  
  
But then it was ruined. _Fucking Erica_. If Derek had thought Stiles was blushing earlier, it was nothing compared to the blush Erica got out of him. When they’d walked in, Stiles couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. If Stiles had been curious about Derek, it was nothing compared to what he thought about Erica. She’d flirted blatantly, and he’d responded eagerly, except when Derek had said something. Derek had made one comment and Stiles’s face had closed off completely. He really didn’t know what to think at this point.  
  
“Oh my god, you _like_ him!!!!!” Fuck.  
  
He knew it. He _knew_ this was going to happen. Erica would get one glimpse of the boy, one glimpse of Derek’s face and she’d jump to all sorts of conclusions. Derek didn’t have a type, not really, but everyone had always told him that his blushes gave his emotions away.  
  
“No I don’t” _Yes I do. It doesn’t matter though. Stiles is painfully straight. That much is clear as fucking crystal._  
  
“Oh my god, D. It’s so obvious. You are SO obvious.”  
  
He walked away, heading towards the Italian place by the Hale law office.  
  
“If you don’t like him, can I ask him out?”  
  
 _NO!_ “What? Why?” Erica was baiting him. She hadn’t dated guys in years.  
  
“Because. _I_ liked him. One of us should get on that and it doesn’t really seem like it’s going to be you.”  
  
It could be him. But, “He has a girlfriend. A gorgeous, petite, kinda scary, red-headed girlfriend.”  
  
“Mmm sounds perfect.” Oh god. This was going places Derek really, really wasn’t comfortable with.  
  
“Erica. Fuck. No. I’m not having this conversation with you anymore.”  
  
“I’m still asking him out.”  
  
“He’s going to say no. He’s completely into his girlfriend.”  
  
“We’ll see...” Derek snorted. If Erica felt like getting rejected, that was her problem.  
____________________________  
  
After a lunch of painful knowing looks, Derek finally said bye to Erica and made his way up to the office. He tried to work on the divorce paperwork for a client (he wanted to go into environmental preservation, but both Laura and his uncle insisted he learn how to handle different aspects of the law) but found himself being distracted; he kept replaying the events from the coffee shop earlier in his mind.  
  
“Hello, nephew.” Derek looked up. His uncle walked in, impeccably dressed in a three piece Armani suit with a shocking pink shirt and a skinny white tie. The goatee on his chin screamed evil-Disney-movie-villain, and Derek couldn’t help but let out a sigh.  
  
“Uncle Peter.” Derek didn’t know what his uncle wanted, but it was in everyone’s interest that Derek not engage. He was too annoyed right now for his uncle’s sass.  
  
“Laura says you’re, to put it politely, seeing someone.  I must say nephew, it’s about time.”  
  
Derek gritted his teeth, “Laura’s wrong.”  
  
“Is she, now? Hmm, well then, how about you and I go out and catch up?” Peter feigned innocence, “Maybe over some coffee?”  
  
Derek felt like smacking his head against the wall. When had his life become a fucking CW TV show? Was his every moved catalogued on some damn celebrity website? He wouldn’t put it past Laura and Erica to set one up. _Oh No, Derek Didn’t_. Was _Kristen fucking Bell_ about to start voicing over about _Lonely Boy_ and _S_ and their star crossed fucking romance? Fucking Erica and her insistence on making Derek watch that insipid show. Chace Crawford was hot, but his interest stopped there.  
  
He really needed more guy friends in his life. He couldn’t really see Isaac or Boyd caring so much about Derek’s non-existent love life. Or about Penn Badgley’s “perfect curls.”  
  
He tried to stay calm. “I’ve already had some coffee today.”  
  
“Mmm, I’ll bet you have. With a side of grad student, I hear?”  
  
Derek looked up so quick, he’s amazed he didn’t pull a muscle. Stiles had said something about grad students, hadn’t he? He narrowed his eyes at his uncle, “What do you know?”  
  
“As always, dear Derek, much more than you.”  
  
He knew the only way to get anymore information was to seem indifferent. He snorted, “Doubtful.”  
  
“Stiles Stilinski, 23 years old, getting his Masters in Education degree at the UC, son of John Stilinski, Sheriff of Beacon Hills, California, best friend and step-brother of Scott McCall, son to the _stunning_ Melissa McCall-Stilinski. Scott is engaged to Allison Argent, Stiles’s co-worker and daughter of the _gorgeous_ Chris Argent, also known as Stiles’s boss.”  
  
Okay, Derek had NOT been expecting that. He thought maybe Peter knew about his morning coffee habit, not that he _actually knew things about Stiles’s life._  
  
“How the hell do you know all that?”  
  
“Oh, I have my sources. That boy is an absolute delight, nephew. I’d get on that before he finds someone better.” Derek just stared. How the hell was this his life?  
  
Peter flounced out then, saying something about meeting an old friend that Derek didn’t really catch. He was too busy wondering when the fuck his life had become the personal plaything of Mr.I-could-rival-Severus-Snape-with-my-not-so-honorable-intentions-actual-enigma-Peter-freaking-Hale.  
___________________  
  
  
By five that evening, Derek was mentally exhausted. He had spent the entire day researching, and obsessing about his (lack of a) social life. Normally he stayed until at least six, but he really really needed to go for a run to clear his mind. He packed his things quickly, and raced out the door and back home (the last thing he needed was for Peter or Laura to stop him on his way out). He changed quickly into a t-shirt and sweatpants(because who worked out in jeans?) and warmed-up by doing some pushups and situps in his room. Then he grabbed a hoodie and made his way out the door.  
  
An hour and 6 miles later, he found himself a block from the coffee shop. Of course he did. Apparently, even his fucking subconscious enjoyed his pain. Since he was here already, he decided to walk past on his way home. Stiles didn’t even work this late, and it was the fastest way back to his apartment.  
  
He had just passed the door, determinedly not looking inside, when...  
  
“Well, don’t _you_ look like a hot mess?”  
  
Of _course_ Erica was there. _Of course_ she had gone back. He turned around. He was surprised to see not only Erica, but Isaac standing just outside the entrance to the coffee shop. Erica was grinning knowingly and Isaac just looked from Derek’s annoyed face to Erica’s smug one, looking adorably confused.  
  
“Did you want a certain someone to see you all hot and sweaty? Plant some suggestive images?” She waggled her eyebrows.  
  
Derek could _feel_ the blush on his cheeks this time. He wished he could write it off as a flush from working out, but he knew Erica would never believe that.  
  
“I was just out for a run. Needed to clear my head,” he mumbled, hoping Erica would drop it.  
  
Erica looked down to his crotch. “Sure your head’s the only thing that needs to be cleared?” _Jesus fucking Christ. Could he say NOTHING out loud anymore?_  
  
“What the hell Erica? What’s going on?” Saved. Isaac’s cheeks were sporting a blush that rivaled Dereks. “Why are you talking about Derek’s...biological functions?”  
  
Erica turned her gaze to her brother. “Isaac, how are you supposed to be a doctor when you can’t even say the word penis?” _Raise your hand if Erica Reyes sees your mind as her personal playground._  
  
Isaac blushed even harder. His cheeks were as red as a tomato. Derek felt bad, but couldn’t help but be relieved the attention was off of him.  
  
“Anyways, _what’s going on_ is that D here has a little crush!” Erica looked absolutely ecstatic. _Never mind._  
  
Isaac looked up at him sweetly, “Really Derek, that’s so awesome!”  
  
“I do NOT have a crush. What I have is a desire to shower. I’ll see the two of you back home.” With that, he took off running at a sprint, wishing he missed Erica’s amused snort behind him.  
  
“Better make it a _cold_ shower!”  
______________________________________________  
  
After he’d showered and dressed, Derek made his way out to the kitchen. He could smell Erica cooking fajitas, and stopped in the kitchen to grab a Corona before making his way over to Isaac.  
  
“Hey D, you know I just want you to be happy right?” Erica looked at him with huge eyes. “You just make it so damn easy, I wanna tease you all the time.” He kissed her on the forehead.  
  
“I know E. I could do without the teasing though.”  
  
“Never gonna happen. But here, I made your favorite! Salsa Verde with Spanish rice! The cilantro is fresh from the downtown farmer’s market and the tomatillos are from the Mexican grocery store!” And _this_ was why he kept her around. No one could make food like Erica.  
  
Isaac walked in then, guided no doubt by his stomach. “Is dinner ready Er, I’m starving! I’ve had nothing but Stiles’s coffee cake all day!”  
  
Derek knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t help but notice the familiarity with the way Isaac had said “Stiles.”  
  
“Calm down Iz. Food’ll be ready in 2.”  
  
“So Isaac,” Derek began, “How do you know Stiles?” He very determinedly _did not_ look at Erica.  
  
“Stiles? I’ve known him for years.” _What_? This was the first Derek was hearing about it.  
  
“How come you’ve never mentioned him before?”  
  
“I have _definitely_ mentioned him before Der. We--”  
  
“I HAVE A DATE FOR TOMORROW NIGHT,” Erica _loudly_ interrupted Isaac’s explanation. Derek’s stomach dropped. There was _no way_. He looked away then, starting to set the table, and missed the forceful look Erica threw her brother, mouthing the words ' _Shut up Iz_.'   
  
Derek couldn’t believe it. “So Stiles and that red-head aren’t dating then?” he forced out finally.  
  
Isaac laughed, “Stiles and Lydia, no way man! They’re cousins! Granted they have all these silly names for each other so no one would ever know, but they’re definitely NOT together.”  
  
Erica beamed, “Thank god for that! I’ve actually never felt so nervous asking someone out before. I kinda couldn’t believe it when I got a yes!” She started moving the food from the kitchen to the dining table, as Derek and Isaac filled glasses of water and took their seats.  
  
“Don’t be silly Er. You knew the minute you opened your mouth you were gonna hear a yes.”  
  
“Thanks Iz, you make me sound so modest!”  
  
Derek zoned out as Isaac and Erica continued to tease each other, concentrating on his food. He really shouldn’t feel so betrayed. He had told Erica over and over that he didn’t like Stiles that way. The truth, though, was he _shouldn’t_ like Stiles that way. Even though Stiles wasn’t dating the redhead ( _Lydia_ ), he was straight which meant that even if Derek were to ask him out, the guy would say no.  
  
He swallowed, and finally looked up at Erica, catching a inquisitive look on her face before he forced himself to smile. “I’m happy for you Reyes. It’s been awhile since you’ve been in a relationship.”  
  
She smiled sweetly, “Come to think of it Hale, it’s been awhile since _any_ of us were in a relationship.” She turned to Isaac. “So baby bro, I haven’t heard anything about a love life since that fling your senior year! Anybody special right now? Danny sure is a cutie, too bad he’s taken!” Derek remembered Isaac mentioning something about a lab partner named Danny, and even remembered the fling Erica was talking about. It was the first guy Isaac had ever dated, it had seemed like a big deal at the time. Derek couldn’t remember the guy’s name but knew he and Isaac had broken up amicably, deciding to be friends.  
  
Isaac was blushing, which meant that he was either already seeing someone, or he was into someone. “I, uh, well. There may be someone.”  
  
Erica squealed, “Oh my gosh Iz!!! Who is it? Guy or girl? Are you dating? How long have you been together?”  
  
“It’s a girl, uhm, woman, someone I’ve known for awhile. We’ve only just started dating though.”  
  
Derek was curious, but let Erica take the reins on this one. She was more excited right now than he would ever be over Isaac’s love life. “What’s her name? Do you guys go to school together? When do I get to meet her?”  
  
Derek hated cliches, but in this moment, Isaac truly looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  
  
“Well, no she’s not a student. We haven’t been dating long Erica, I think we probably need to be together a little longer before I introduce her to my crazy family.”  Isaac looked up and caught sight of the wall clock. “Wow, is that the time, I really need to be getting back to campus! Lots to read before classes tomorrow!”  
  
Derek snorted. If Isaac thought he was getting away that easy, he really didn’t know Erica well enough.  
“Oh no mister!” Derek smiled smugly. “I need _details_! It’s my right as the older sister!”  
  
Isaac got up and smiled placatingly, “Another time Er, I _promise_. I really do need to get back to campus now.”  
  
Erica got up grumbling, and grabbed some tupperware from the kitchen. She handed it to Isaac after he’d put his jacket on. He grinned, “You are the best sister in the _entire world_.”  
  
“And don’t you dare forget it Iz. We _will_ finish this conversation at a later date.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. See you later, then. Bye Derek!”  
  
_________________________________________________  
  
Derek woke the next morning at six as usual and got ready for his day. He really didn’t want to go to the coffee shop today, didn’t want to see, didn’t _want_ to want Stiles when he knew how attached he was getting. Maybe he could just go to the Starbuck’s today instead.  
  
Derek hated Starbuck’s. He had started going to the smaller coffee shop because it was quaint, quiet, and he could get his work done there in peace. Starbuck’s was far too loud, with far too many people, and ridiculously uncomfortable chairs. He had started out going there for work, and that’s what it would be from now on. Just a place to work.  
  
He walked in the store around his usual time, a little after 8 am. He liked that when he arrived, the morning rush was usually over; it meant that he almost never had to wait in line for his coffee.  
  
“Good morning, sir! What can I get for you today?”  
  
Derek looked up at the greeting, surprised to see a boy with moppy brown hair and a lopsided grin in Stiles’s normal spot. “Who are you?” he asked, not caring that he sounded rude.  
  
The boy blinked slowly and his smile faltered, “Uh, I’m Scott. I work here on Fridays sometimes if Allison is busy.”  
  
 _Where's Stiles?_ “Oh, well I’m used to having the same barista. He knows how I like my coffee.”  
  
“Oh you mean Stiles? Yeah Stiles is the best at this. Too bad he has classes all morning on Fridays.” Derek really shouldn’t be so disappointed that Stiles wasn’t there. He hadn’t come here to see Stiles, he came here to work.  
  
“Okay, well, I’ll have a large coffee with three pumps of vanilla and a blueberry muffin please.”  
Scott looked puzzled, “We usually put 6 shots of vanilla in the large coffees, are you sure you only want three? It definitely tastes better with six!” Derek didn’t like this kid. He didn’t need his advice.  
  
“Three pumps. No more, no less.”  
  
Scott seemed to get a sense that Derek was annoyed with him, he quickly rang up the order and went to retrieve the coffee and muffin. Derek grabbed everything silently and made his way to his favorite armchair.  
__________________________________  
  
He didn’t end up staying very long. The kid, Scott, kept eying him like he was going to come over and strike up a conversation; Derek really didn’t want to talk to him. There were no other customers, and no sign of any other baristas. He could see the kid was bored out of his mind; Derek just didn’t think it was his job to entertain him.  
  
As soon as he had finished his coffee and read all the top _New York Times_ headlines of the day, Derek made his way to the Hale law offices. He braced himself as he walked past Peter’s door, but luckily the lights were off-Peter must be out with a client or at court. For a grade A creeper, Peter was damn good at passing requests for restraining orders.  
  
He stopped by Laura’s office only to overhear the tail end of a phone conversation.  
  
“Yeah that sounds good babe....tonight is perfect...I’ll see you then, bye!” He didn’t know Laura was seeing someone! Time for a little payback.  
  
He slid in the door quietly, just as she was hanging up the phone and startled her when he said with a smirk, “So, looks like I’m not the Hale with a secret boyfriend!”  
  
Laura blushed. “I’m not telling you anything.”  
  
“Wow, you’re such a hypocrite!”  
  
“Sorry Der, but you’ll do the whole intimidating brother thing and scare him away, and I really just like him too much for that to happen. You’re just gonna have to wait.”  
  
“Until when, Lo?  
  
“Until I know he isn’t gonna get spooked. Until I know that you aren’t gonna freak.”  
  
“Why would I freak? There’s nothing wrong with him is there?”  
  
“No, he’s just...You know what, no. You’ll meet him when you meet him. I’m not saying any more.” Well, Laura was being really weird. Either she was telling the truth and she really really liked this guy a lot, OR there was something wrong with him that she didn’t want Derek to know about. He was beginning to think it was the second.  
  
“Laura, I have a right to approve who my sister is dating. You don’t exactly have the best dating history.”  
  
“This is different Der, promise. This guy, he’s awesome. I’m just, not ready to share him yet.” Derek relaxed a little. Laura looked really happy. Happier than he’d seen in a long time. This was the happiest he’d seen her since their parents died.  
  
“Okay, Lo. I’m gonna believe you on this one. But I want more details soon.”  
  
She grinned, “You’re so cute Der. Thanks for looking out for me. I’ll tell you more soon, promise.”  
  
He walked out the door, glancing at Peter’s office as he walked to his own. He saw a man with sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes follow his uncle into the room. _Huh, must be a new client._  
  
_____________________  
  
When Derek got home that evening, the place was a mess. There were boots and heels thrown about everywhere starting from the hall closet. He followed the path of heels to Erica’s room which looked like a hurricane had hit it. There were tops, jackets, skirts, pants, and of course more shoes everywhere. There was no place to walk, sit or even stand in Erica’s room. Erica however was nowhere to be seen.  
  
“Erica?” he called out.  
  
“In the bathroom D.” He made his way over to Erica’s bathroom and saw make-up, hair products, and brushes strewn across the counter. He looked at Erica then, who was perfectly made up, with gorgeous yellow waves running down her back, eyes done up boldly, lips bright red. She looked amazing. Well, her head did. He looked down, and saw nothing but his old NYU baseball tee.  
  
“Thank god you’re here D! You can help me choose what to wear!” Derek groaned. He knew he should’ve stayed at the office until 8, until after Erica had left for her date. He glanced at the clock. 7:17.  
  
“What time is your date at?”  
  
“I’m getting picked up at 8.” _Crap_. Stiles was coming here? He really didn't want to be at home right now. Erica grabbed his hand and he had no choice but to follow her to his room. “Come _on_ D! I need an outfit that says ‘I’m not easy, but you’re hot and amazing and I will definitely sleep with you tonight if you play your cards right’.” _Yep, definitely should’ve stayed at the office. Or gone to Boyd’s. Or Isaac’s. Or freaking Antarctica. Anywhere but here._  
  
“You sure that’s what you want the outfit to say? Shouldn’t you play hard to get?”  
  
“Oh but Der, I am _so_ easy to get.” She grinned wolfishly, and he groaned.  
  
“Not exactly what I want to hear from the girl who’s basically my sister, E.”  
  
“Too bad, DJ. Now come one, skirt or dress?”  
  
40 agonizing minutes later, Erica was picking out shoes to go with the tight short red dress she’d chosen, and was staring at her shoes when the doorbell rang. She looked up in terror.  
  
“ _Who the hell shows up right at 8 for an 8 ‘o’ clock date_?” she hissed. “D you have to go get the door. I’m not ready yet.” Derek’s heart sank. He did not want to see Stiles dressed up for a date with Erica, you couldn’t pay him enough. Girls would never cease to amaze him. Why _wouldn’t_ you show up at 8:00 for an 8:00 date? And weren’t they always complaining about their boyfriends being late? Derek couldn’t help thinking that _he_ would be happy if Stiles was picking him up on time.  
  
“I am _not_ opening the door for your date. You’re completely ready Er! Just pick any pair of heels you have, any black or white pair will do!”  
  
She gave him a look. “Go open the door D, or I am going to tell Stiles that you _like_ him!” He looked at her in terror.  
  
“You wouldn’t.”  
  
“I would. Go!” She grabbed a pair of 5 inch black lacey boots as he reluctantly made his way to the door.  
  
He tried to take his time making his way to the door but the bell rang again, insistently, and he quickened his pace. He stopped, took a deep breath, cursing Erica, and opened the door.  
  
“Lydia?” _WTF?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this ch! I really enjoy trolling Derek (in case you couldn't tell, lol). It's just SO easy. 
> 
> This chapter was brought to you in part by the Imagine Dragons discography. Its pretty much been on a loop in my life for the past week.  
> My favorites:  
> Leave Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea8ilt7T_Vg  
> Amsterdam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKtPXO5iEnA  
> Uptight (Reminds me of Derek): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv9ShjkTq20
> 
> PS:  
> In case anyone cares:  
> Erica's outfit:  
> http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xQ-E4_USwLY/TyVN2J6JBbI/AAAAAAAABRc/MHolG743Zms/s400/0628-little-red-dress_fa.jpg
> 
> Erica's Shoes:  
> http://www.cwomenshoes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/01/Chinese-Laundry-Heart-Beat-Lace-Evening-New-Arrivals-Prom-Picks-Vegan-3.jpg
> 
> Lydia's outfit:  
> https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSk3y5H9izbTvuH08ZL7g79nydZoRT_h_1CphD2qYmyxE-1IiHV
> 
> Lydia's shoes: http://images.mytheresa.com/media/catalog/product/cache/common/image/1000x1000/2eb64a17c400cae6dda07f7553944b3e/P/0/P00046672-GISELE-80-SUEDE-ANKLE-BOOTS-STANDARD.jpg


	6. In Which There is French Toast and Diamond Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia POV. 4 weeks after last chapter ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is dedicated to the 172 beautiful people who like my story enough to want annoying emails every time I post a new chapter. I love you guys, you make my life! You're the reason I have completely and absolutely disregarded any actual work to just write this fic. HAH. So, here you are my dears. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Need a song of the week?  
> You Make it Real by James Morrison. It's the perfect CANNON Sterek song. <3
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRxccy-zcJ8

Lydia opened her eyes slowly, utterly comfortable and ridiculously warm in a bed that wasn’t hers. She tensed for a second, but relaxed as memories from the previous night came rushing back. She reached for her phone, maneuvering around the limbs surrounding her, smiling softly when she saw beautiful blonde hair out the corner of her eye.  
  
From: Stiles Stilinski  
 _ **need a change of clothes Lyd?**_  
  
Stiles knew her so well.  
  
To: Stiles Stilinski  
 **How’d you know I would end up staying over?**  
  
She could picture him rolling his eyes at her.  
  
 ** _you’re easy_**  
  
 _Well, that was rude_. And untrue.  
  
 _ **TO FIGURE OUT! YOU’RE EASY TO FIGURE OUT. damn phone.**_  
  
 _Much better_. She smiled and texetd back.  
  
 **Oh dear cousin of mine, please please please would you be so kind as to bring me a change of clothes? The wolf’s den really isn’t as bad as you’d think.**  
  
She waited. Stiles wasn’t going to be happy.  
  
 _ **you want me to willingly come into grumpy-pants’s house? do you really think that’s a good idea? i’m pretty sure the man wants to rip out my throat.**_  
  
Stiles was exaggerating. Derek was perfectly sweet (albeit grumpy) towards Erica and Isaac and even Lydia when she was over. The only one he showed any hostility towards was Stiles. She couldn’t figure it out. Her phone buzzed again before she could reply.  
  
 ** _with his teeth_**. Lydia laughed. She felt Erica move next to her, and looked over to see sleepy brown eyes looking at her.  
  
“Hey gorgeous.” Lydia smiled and reached over to kiss her girlfriend. They’d gone on (pretty damn perfect) dates nearly every other day for the past four weeks and had made it "Facebook official" last night over wine and season 6 of Grey's Anatomy.

“Morning ‘Rica. Your bed is ridiculously comfortable. I may never go home again.”  
  
“Mmm, no complaints here. What time is it?” Lydia glanced down at her phone, biting down a laugh at Stiles’s latest text. _ **he will then proceed to hide my body and use his lawyer talk to destroy any suspicion cast upon him.** _  
  
“Uh, 10:52.”  
  
“Perfect. You stay here, and I’ll go get started on brunch!” Lydia broke out into a huge smile. She couldn’t cook at all, and loved that Erica not only was an amazing cook, but loved cooking for her friends and family more than anything.  
  
“You sure you don’t need help?”  
  
“Nope, you just finish texting Batman. Tell him I say hi.”  
  
Stiles wasn’t the only one who knew her well. It was ridiculous how much Erica had noticed in the last four weeks. Erica kissed her firmly on the lips, then slowly untangled her legs from Lydia’s and made her way out the door.  
  
 **He’s not going to eat you. He’s not going to hide your body. Please bring me clothes? I don’t even think he’s here.**  
  
Derek always got up ridiculously early. According to Stiles, he went to the coffee shop every weekday, but since was Saturday, she assumed he was either in his room or out with his friends. She hoped it was the latter.  
  
 _ **promise?** _  
  
**Promise hon**. _I promise he’s not going to eat you, not that he isn’t here._  
  
 _ **i’m already on my way over.**_ She smiled fondly. Stiles was seriously the best.  
  
She stood up and grabbed a large tee from Erica’s dresser, went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before padding barefoot to the kitchen. Once she got there, she saw her favorite Southwestern style omelet already on a pan and Erica’s amazing homemade sourdough bread in the toaster. There was a jug of fresh-squeezed orange juice on the table and a pot of delicious-smelling coffee brewing.  
  
“Stiles on his way over?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Lydia watched Erica pull out another pan to preheat and saw her start gathering the ingredients for French toast. _How does Erica know Stiles’s favorite breakfast?_  
  
“You aren’t going to wear _that_ T-shirt all day are you?’ Erica smirked broadly, gesturing to Lydia’s chest. “I don’t like it on you very much.”  
  
She looked down. _Huh._ The shirt she’d grabbed was bright red with the words **Property of Derek Hale** written in bold bright purple lettering on the front. It was _hideous_. “How did I not notice that? Why does this even exist?”  
  
“When DJ and I were in 10th grade, Laura and I had it made and tried to give it to D’s boyfriend-at-the-time for Christmas. Needless to say, D blushed like a girl, grabbed the T-shirt and tried to throw it away. I kept it though. I figure it’ll come in handy one of these days.”  
  
“Oh my god, that is great. I wish I could have seen the look on his face.”  
  
“It would _probably_ look a lot like this. What the _hell_ E, you told me you got rid of that shirt!” Lydia whipped around to see Derek in just blue plaid pajama pants standing at the entrance to the kitchen, glowering at Erica. Guess he was home after all. _Oh well._  
  
“Sorry D, no can do! I have plans for that shirt.” Lydia would have to ask about those later. “I made your favorite breakfast to thank you for going out last night, okay? So just come eat the French toast and try not to look like someone killed your puppy.” _Oh, of course_. The French toast was for _Derek_ not for Stiles.  
  
Derek grabbed the plate (still glowering) and made his way to the table. Lydia loved how Erica was able to appease him so easily with her cooking.  
  
“Do you think you could make some more ‘Rica? French toast is Stiles’s favorite too. And he’s being an absolute _doll_ bringing me a change of clothes so I don’t have to wear last night’s dress and heels so could you, maybe...?”  
  
“Of course Lee! Anything for my Bruce!” Lydia rolled her eyes. Erica never called Stiles anything but Batman or Bruce Wayne. It was absolutely ridiculous how much he loved it.  
  
“Stiles is coming over?” Derek asked, in a weird, clipped tone. Erica rolled her eyes.  
  
“You really need to get over it, D.” _Get over what?_  
  
“Shut up, Erica.” He glanced at Lydia as he said it, and when he saw her looking at him, looked down at his breakfast immediately. Interesting. _Definitely going to have to ask ‘Rica about that later._  
  
“Yes, he’s coming over. He’s bringing me clothes. I hope that’s okay.” Lydia said, tentatively. She really didn’t know how to act around Derek sometimes.  
  
“Does he have to?” Lydia had never heard Derek sound so petulant before. She really needed to find out the reason for his animosity towards Stiles.  
  
“Derek James Hale.” _Whoa, Erica sounds PISSED_. “Stiles is welcome in this house _anytime_ , get it? He is my friend now, and is Lee’s _best_ friend. I don’t want you being rude to him anymore; he’s done nothing wrong,” Erica hissed, disbelief and irritation etched in her features.  “Get your head out of your ass.”  
  
Derek at least had the decency to look ashamed. He didn’t say another word, just grabbed his laptop so he could read the news while he finished his breakfast. Lydia gave him an assessing look and then glanced at her girlfriend.  
  
“ _Sorry_ ,” Erica mouthed at her, genuinely upset. “ _He’s being a dick_.” Lydia moved closer, wrapping her arms around her.  
  
“No worries, Ree.” she said, softly. She’d have wait to find out more until she and Erica were alone.  
  
The bell rang. Lydia started to move towards the door, but Erica grabbed her arms. “No Lee, I’ll get it. Your food’s ready, go sit with D and eat.”  
  
“What about you? You haven't eaten yet.”  
  
“I’ll just grab the half omelette I know you are going to leave behind. Go.” _Best girlfriend ever._  
  
Erica went to open the door and Lydia listened, blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation. It wasn’t like Derek was going to talk to her...  
  
“Batman!” She heard a soft grunt, which probably meant Erica had thrown herself at Stiles for a hug. “Welcome, come in!!”  
  
“Thank you my dear Selina. You look lovely this fine morning.” Lydia rolled her eyes and looked up at Derek. He was obviously listening to the pair also, and looked adorably confused. _Guess he’s not a comic book nerd like the rest of us._  
  
“Selina Kyle is Catwoman’s birth name.” She explained softly. Stiles and Erica were still bantering by the door.  
  
Derek still looked confused. “Catwoman?”  
  
“Come _on_ Derek, you have to have noticed.”  
  
“Noticed what, exactly?”  
  
“She calls him Batman--”  
  
“So he calls her Catwoman?” _Finally_. She smirked at him.  
  
“Pretty much.”  
  
“Weren’t Batman and Catwoman together? Like, romantically?” Wow. Derek looked seriously uncomfortable. _He was blushing._ Was he really this socially awkward all the time? She had a hard time believing that someone as attractive as him was this awkward. He was practically channeling Michael Cera.  
  
“Technically yes, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle were romantically involved in the _Batman: Hush_ series, but it didn’t last. _The Dark Knight Rises_ relationship was bullshit; and while Anne Hathaway did a surprisingly decent job, she does not a Catwoman make.” Stiles answered for her, walking into the kitchen with Erica at his heels. He turned around, “And sorry Catwoman, you’re gorgeous but you just aren’t my type.”  
  
Lydia turned back to Derek and bit back a grin when he, once again, looked confused.  
  
"Heyyy Derek. How are you today? Are you drinking coffee? Don't tell me you have vanilla syrup at your house too! Three pumps right, haha, gotta have those three pumps of vanilla-y good-ness!" Stiles was babbling. She hadn't seen him babble this much in a long time.  
  
Derek looked up at Stiles blankly. He looked at Erica who was practically shooting him death glares with her eyes, and then said quietly, "I have vanilla creamer."  
  
"But that's not as good! You don't even like cream in your coffee! That one time Scott gave you coffee with cream, you practically threw it in his face! He's so scared of you man, he thinks you hate him." _Projecting much, Stiles?_  
  
"Scott's an idiot. He needs to learn to give customers what they ask for, not what he personally prefers."  
  
Stiles spluttered, "Hey now! Scott is just trying to be helpful, okay? How can you be so angry all the time? Especially at Scott! It's like being angry at an adorable golden retriever puppy! I mean, it's Scott. Everyone loves Scott. I mean, the other day I was hanging out with Isaac and--" Stiles stopped. Derek's eyes had narrowed dangerously all of a sudden, and he was gripping his plate so hard, his knuckles were white. "Uhh, Derek, you okay?"  
  
Derek stood up then, grabbing his laptop and made his way out of the room, "I have to go. I'll see you later Erica."  
  
Lydia gaped. Stiles looked crestfallen and Erica, irritated. Derek was being an absolute ass, and for no apparent reason! And when had Stiles started crushing on Derek? He babbled sure, but this was a level of babble Lydia had seen only a few times before. As much as she wanted to hole up with Erica and obsess over Derek's actions, it really looked like Stiles needed some best friend time.  
  
_________________________  
  
  
"So what's going on with you and Derek?" Lydia and Stiles were walking out of Erica's apartment complex, Stiles was headed to the coffee shop for work, and Lydia to her own house to finish a grant proposal.  
  
Stiles stared at her. "Nothing. Isn't it obvious? The man completely hates me."  
  
"But you don't hate him." Lydia raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Yes I do. He's an ass. He just walked out earlier when I was talking to him."  
  
"That bothered you, huh?" Lydia's voice was half teasing, half concerned.  
  
Stiles looked away. "It didn't bother me. It was just rude. It was impolite. You don't just walk out on someone while they're talking to you! Didn't his parents teach him any manners? He could've cracked open a freaking Emily Post book at some point in his life. I mean, jeez, he's a lawyer, how does he even get clients? It's weird, he was so friendly at first and I think he's a normal person, but no, sourpuss asshole strikes again. It's like he--"  
  
"At first? What does that mean?"  
  
Stiles gave her look. "Interrupt much? Maybe _you_ need to go read some Emily Post."    
  
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Just finish the story Stilinski. At first...?"  
  
"Derek came in to the coffee shop the Monday after your first date and we talked a bunch. The days after that, I started going over to sit with him on my breaks by the end of the week, and we talked about the randomest things. I guess he, like Erica, had thought we were together? He was even flirting with me! At least, it seemed like it at the time, but now I don't know. We talked about you and Erica--about how eventual world domination was inevitable with you two together.  We even talked about my thesis and he told me about doing an Anthro/Legal Studies double major at NYU and he watches _Game of Thrones_ Lydia! He gets my weird Stark wolf references and _almost_ knows more about _The Lord of the Rings_ series than I do! He was funny, and smart, and ugh, so damn attractive _all the freaking time_. He came in one day in his glasses, and somehow managed to look even more attractive than usual. I mean, who looks attractive in glasses? I look like a deranged owl when I wear mine."  
  
Lydia snorted, "So, you do like him then." _Knew it!_  
  
"Well I _did_! He was perfect. But then, one day he comes in, like two weeks ago and it's like...I don't even know Lyds. A complete regression. He doesn't talk to me except to order, glares at me randomly, and more often than not, walks out of any room I'm in. I was at Isaac's last weekend and apparently Derek was coming over for dinner. He came in, saw me there, and then left really quickly telling Isaac, completely unconvincingly by the way, that he'd forgotten about a work thing. Isaac even called and asked Laura about it...there was no work thing!" Stiles looked genuinely upset now. "It's like I did something or said something, and he realized this wasn't what he wanted anymore. That _I_ wasn't what he wanted," he finished dejectedly.  
  
Lydia was enraged. Stiles had always felt like the ugly duckling in their group of friends in high school but he was far from unattractive. He had just been this energetic, brilliant,  ADHD-riddled kid, and most people hadn't really known how to approach him. She knew even Danny had had a crush on him but hadn't acted on it back then because he was never sure if Stiles was into guys.  
  
"Then he's an idiot Stiles. Seriously, I'm not saying this because you're my cousin or my best friend, but if Derek led you on and then bailed, he's an absolute ass who truly doesn't know how good he could've had it. Screw him. You'll find someone better."  
  
Stiles looked at her, his amber brown eyes filled with love and gratitude, and Lydia wanted to march back upstairs to Derek and demand an explanation. Where the hell did he get off treating Stiles that way? "I love you too, Lydia."  
  
"I'd do anything for you, bro. Just say the word and I'll sic Danny and Jackson on him."  
  
Stiles finally cracked a smile. "You know, I actually believe that? Jacks hated me when I said no to Danny freshman year, but when he realized it was because I was on team "Dax" the whole time, he became the over-protective older brother I never actually wanted." Stiles snorted, "Do you remember that guy last year who stood me up? He showed up at the coffee shop the next day with a split lip, apologizing profusely?"  
  
"Yes! Matt something right? He was babbling about getting a concussion from hitmen-Calvin-Klein-models with crazy eyes." Lydia laughed, "Seriously, just give me the word and I'll send Jackson along to Derek."  
  
"No Lyds, it's fine. It felt good telling you, but I'm over it. I don't need Derek Hale with his perfect green eyes, killer jawline, and arsenal of _Community_ quotes. It's all overrated. There's plenty of fish under the bridge or something."  
  
Lydia giggled, "Fish in the sea or water under the bridge Stiles?"  
  
"Ehh both those. Whatever. I gotta get to work. Say hi to Danny when you get home."  
  
"Will do hon. I'll even ask him for a couple numbers for you." Lydia winked and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Couldn't hurt, I guess! Later Lyd!"  
  
__________________________________  
  
When Lydia walked into her living room, she saw Danny sitting on the couch with magazines and store catalogues everywhere.  
  
"Have a good night?" Danny asked, his brown eyes twinkling mischievously and his lips curving into that adorable Danny-smile, complete with matching dimples on both cheeks.  
  
Lydia grinned back. "The best."  
  
"I'm glad. You haven't been in a proper relationship since high school!"  
  
"Jackson was hardly a proper relationship. We were just good friends who pretended for _years_ something more was going on."  
  
"You know what I mean. You look really happy."  
  
"I am, Dan. 'Rica's great." Her eyes fell to the pages open in front of Danny. They were wedding magazines. Right on top was a picture of a beautiful, simple gold band inlaid with sparkling diamonds. She snapped her head up at Danny, who just broadened his smile and looked a little shy.  
  
"Oh my god! Danny! Are you--"  
 **  
**"Proposing to Jackson?" The joy in his eyes was unmistakable. "Yeah...I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D AHHsadklfj;asdklfj WEdding!fic???? WHO EVEN KNOWS AT THIS POINT. i know Scott and Allison are supposed to be engaged already? but i think Allison is preoccupied w training and Danny and Jackson will just want to be officially together for always ASAP.Their wedding needs to happen right away. My headcannon is a fun place rn. 
> 
>  
> 
> Can I get some thoughts? Wedding location ideas? Wedding PROPOSAL ideas? We have some in the works...but I am not COMPLETELY pleased with them. 
> 
> Also, who knows what's up w Derek?! What a rude little sourwolf. 
> 
> Thoughts/criticisms/anything/everything! <3
> 
> Next chapter will be Stiles POV then Derek then....who knows? Tell me whose brain you want a glimpse of!


	7. In Which He Likes the Mets!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles moves on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SOOO sorry guys. I promise it will never take me this long to update EVER again. I feel really really bad but school got crazy, and I attempted to be a normal person with a social life for a bit, and IDK this chapter WAS SO HARD TO WRITE UGH. But here it is now, and I actually really really love it. 
> 
> To the 214 people who subscribe to this fic: You make my day!  
> To the 54 people who have bookmarked it: I love each and every one of you.  
> To the 159 people who have given it kudos: You guys are amazing. 
> 
> I promise guys, no more waiting entire months for updates. That's just ridiculous. Feel free to comment about how much I suck. I deserve it.

Stiles walked into the shop, just in time for his 2pm Saturday shift. He was in a bad mood from his conversation (or lack thereof) with Derek, and despite Lydia’s efforts, he still felt bad about himself and his current situation. He had _fallen_ for Derek. Hard. Derek was beautiful and just broody enough to make Stiles itch with curiosity. He had an amazing (though rare) smile that reached his eyes and Stiles had felt like he’d won some sort of prize every time Derek smiled at him. And Derek was _smart_. And not just in the I’m-a-Yale-legacy-and-really-rich-WASP kind of way, but a genuine I-like-to-learn-things kind of way; the kind of smart that had Stiles daydreaming, not about hot and heavy make-out sessions, but about witty banter and foreign films. Don’t get him wrong, there was plenty of hot and heavy daydreaming going on, but Derek had been more than that.

Derek had been the first person (pretty much ever) that Stiles didn’t want casual fun with. He wanted something real. He wanted lazy Sunday mornings doing the NY Times crossword (Derek did them in pen!) in bed and long walks on the beach at sunset (GOD, he was turning into such a sap!). He wanted Derek’s brain and his body, his perfect smile and his stupid sticky-outy ears morning, night, and every minute in between.

Except. Reality.

That wasn’t what Derek wanted. Derek wanted nothing to do with him. Derek liked the muffins Stiles made and the coffee he gave him, but that was it. Derek didn’t want crosswords or banter or make-out sessions with Stiles. He wanted nothing to do with Stiles.

“Penny for your thoughts!”

Stiles looked up. Allison was wearing her patented Disney-princess-concerned face.

"Oh, heey Alli! It's nothing." He’d meant it when he told Lydia he was over it. He had to move on; there was no point dwelling on something that was never going to happen.

Allison snorted daintily and held up her phone. "Then why did Lydia text me to make sure you were okay?"

Dammit, Lydia. He rolled his eyes. "Lydia's crazy. You should know better than to listen to her."

“So there’s nothing bothering you? Nothing at all? Even I know that’s bullshit Stilinski, you look like crap.” Stiles looked up. Jackson was staring at him with thinly veiled concern. How the hell did people keep managing to get inside the door without him hearing? There was a freaking _bell_ on it for god’s sake.

“Hi to you too Jacks. What’re doing here on this fine Saturday afternoon?” Stiles tried desperately to switch gears, to get them talking about something, ANYTHING but his fucking love life. His LACK of a fucking love life. He turned around and started to make Jackson’s signature caramel macchiato with nonfat milk and extra caramel syrup, hoping Jackson would get the hint to drop it.

There was no way Jackson was dropping it.

“Look Stilinski, I know when something’s bothering you. So I’m going to do what I normally do when I need to wheedle things out of you. Be ready at 9. We’re drinking tonight!” Stiles groaned. Before he could open his mouth, Jackson had grabbed the macchiato and made his way out the door, holding it open for a hot brunette as he left. “Be sure you look good Stilinski, ‘cause you know I will.” Jackson winked and left.

Stiles looked to his right at Allison, who was grinning broadly. “Ooh Jackson’s planning something!” she squealed delightedly. “Count me and Scott in for plans tonight. I so wanna be there for this!” She winked and flounced off into the back room, leaving Stiles with the familiar looking brunette who had just walked in.

“Can I come too?” Her brown hair was long and glossy, she had dark green eyes, and perfect full dark red lips. _Wait._

“Laura Hale?” The woman grinned.

“Aw Stiles I can’t believe you remember me!” _Holy shit_. This was Derek’s sister! “We only met a couple times!”

“Well I always remember terrifyingly smart and beautiful lawyers. And Hales. It’s a thing. I can’t really help it.” _Oh my god_ what was he saying? He might as well declare his love for her brother right then and there.

“So this is where my brother has been spending his mornings? I can see why.” She looked at him critically, giving him, for literally the hundredth time this week, a slow once over. It was piercing and slightly uncomfortable.

“Uhh, yes the atmosphere is nice isn’t it? And hey if you’re into classic rock, we have the best selection! Well not us, technically its the radio station you know, 104.3- classic rock 24/7, I’m a fan!” Oh god, he was rambling. “Like who doesn’t love some good ol’ Aerosmith you know? Back in Black and all that? Although I gotta say, I’m more of a Clash fan myself. British rock, am I right? That shit’s amazing.” Jesus, he really needed to get a hold on himself. “ANYWAYS, what can I get for you this fine afternoon? Latte? Cappuccino? Espresso?”

Laura was looking at him like she was thoroughly entertained by his antics, like he was some sort of comedian or something. “I’ll have a soy latte please!” she said, and Stiles got to work right away, tripping over himself in his haste to get to the espresso machine.

“Boy, you haven’t changed a bit have you Stiles? Still the same adorable, spastic kid you were a few years ago! I can see why Derek--” She stopped abruptly and Stiles looked up curiously. He didn’t think he’d ever been called adorable before, not out loud at least, and the way she stopped speaking made him wonder what she had been about to say.

“Why Derek is so annoyed by me? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Doesn’t stop him from coming for coffee though. At least I do _something_ well!” He finished her sentence self-deprecatingly and was surprised when she frowned. He shoved the latte forward and took the ten dollar bill she was holding out.

“That’s not..” she paused, her green eyes wide and her mouth contorted in a grimace. “..really the way I’d put it.” She gave him a sweet smile and looked right into his eyes. “My brother’s an idiot.”

Stiles didn’t know what to say. He tried to hand her her change but she just shook her head, turned and began to walk out the door. “Keep it. Have a drink on me tonight!” she called as she walked out, flashing him a huge smile as she walked away. _________________________________________________________ 

He got home at around 6:30 after closing up the shop and settled in for a couple hours of CoD. He was surprised however when the doorbell rang at 7:45. He turned to Scott.

“Hey bro, you expecting Allison or someone?”

Scott smiled at him sheepishly. “I uhhh, kinda gave Alli a key? I wanted her to be able to come in if wasn’t here or something. I’m sorry, I probably should have run it by you first, huh?” Stiles bit back a sarcastic comment. It bothered him a little, but didn’t really surprise him. Scott and Allison had pretty much a package deal since high school.

“It’s cool man. But that means you don’t know who’s at the door either.”

Scott blushed, “Uh, actually. It’s for you.”

Stiles got up, thinking he knew exactly who was behind the door, yet praying he was incorrect.

“About time Stilinski. What the hell took you so long?” Jackson shoved past him and entered, as always, like he owned the place. Stiles glared at his back for a second before turning back to the door where Lydia was standing with several bags from Macy’s, Nordstrom’s and Express for Men. Being the gentleman that he was, he leaned down and kissed Lydia’s cheek and took the bags she was holding.

“Aw, thanks Stiles. I walk up 3 flights of stairs with no help,” she shot a nasty glare at Jackson, “But by all means, take the bags three seconds before I am about to sit down.”

Stiles looked warily at the bags and then at Jackson and Lydia who were perched on the sofa, both of them eyeing him appraisingly. It was only 3 parts scary, and 7 parts creepy. “So, hey guys. What’s up? What are you doing here?”

Jackson grinned, a truly terrifying look for him and looked way too pleased. “I told Lydia we were going out tonight. She said that she thought you needed to get laid. I would have to agree. You look miserable all the time, you obviously need to get some action. And despite what you think, graphic tees and plaid shirts are not a good look for the clubs. Hence the bags.”

Stiles paled. “I am perfectly capable of dressing myself! I do not need to be treated like a 5-year-old.”

Lydia laughed sweetly, “Oh honey, you know none of us believe that right? You absolutely need all the help you can get. Now strip. We only have an hour to pick out the perfect thing for tonight.”

An hour later Stiles had to admit he looked _good_. Lydia and Jackson had finally chosen a bright red v-neck tee which was tight around his shoulders (making them look amazing and manly) but fell right at his pant line. Any time he stretched our lifted his arms the shirt rode up exposing the lean flat planes of his stomach, the bones that stuck out at his hips, and the dark hair below his belly button. Apparently channeling his extra energy into running at the gym these past few years had done amazing things for his body. Even Lydia looked impressed by the faint lines of a six-pack that had started to emerge on his abdomen. Jackson and Lydia had gone so far as to buy him _boxer briefs_ (“They’ll make your ass look amazing. Anytime I see Danny in his...” luckily Jackson trailed off with a faraway look in his eyes before things got too scarring.) and he’d had no choice but to wear them when he saw the pants they decided he was going to wear. The briefs were the exact same red as his shirt and stood out brilliantly against his pale skin. They were short, covering his butt, but not making it very far down his thighs and were surprisingly more comfortable than he thought they’d be. His pants were white (“Seriously Lydia, how do you expect me not to spill something on these at some point???”) and TIGHT. They hugged his thighs like a vice and fell straight down to his feet. They weren’t the least bit baggy, and the perfect length for his long legs. He didn’t really know how Lydia managed to do it, but every piece of clothing she had bought him fit him like a glove. Jackson had slicked his inch long chocolate brown hair into a sort of quiff, which should look ridiculous but instead just brought to light his perfect cheekbones and highlighted his amber eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, he looked good. Like really, really good. Better than he’d ever have managed on his own.

“Wow, Stiles, you look seriously hot.” He didn’t know when she had come in, but he turned around to see a grinning Allison and and wounded looking Scott. “Man, if I were single...”

Scott looked absolutely destroyed then and Stiles took pity on him. “Sorry Alli, you’re gorgeous but not really my type.”

Allison laughed. “Guess I’ll just stick with what I have then! He’s not so bad either.” She gave Scott a quick peck on the lips and thats all it took for his pout to be replaced by a silly smile-his patented I-can’t-believe-she’s-still-going-out-with-me look.

“Stilinski, you look hot. And I should know. I have excellent taste.” Stiles turned around to see Jackson stumbling towards him, smiling smugly. He and Lydia had started drinking 10 minutes ago, and knowing the two of them, Stiles was willing to bet that several shots had already been consumed. Lydia could drink anyone under the table, despite being 5’3 and weighing no more than 110 pounds. Jackson, on the other hand, couldn’t hold his liquor at all. A few line shots with Lydia and he was heavily buzzed, anything more and he’d be well on his way to completely wasted. “Are we ready to go yet? Why is no one else drinking? Stilinski! Come take a shot with me!”

___________________________________

Jungle was the best gay bar around, ask anyone. It had the hottest bartenders, the most exclusive guest lists, and the best DJs around. Stiles hadn’t been here in awhile, and just soaked in the sights around him. Jackson and Lydia were dancing as were Scott and Allison. Jackson and Scott were well on their way to being wasted. Lydia had drunk as much as Scott, and double what Jackson had, yet she seemed in perfect control of herself. Allison, graciously offering to be DD had been sticking to ginger ales all night. Stiles was drunk. He was pretty sure about that. He wanted to find a guy and just dance. Let loose and not think about school, or life, or a certain green-eyed sourpuss who for some reason kept invading his thoughts. He’d been sitting at the bar for 20 minutes now, trying to catch someone’s eye, anyone who could take his mind off things. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see one of the bartenders grinning at him. The man wordlessly handed Stiles a Jack and coke and pointed across the bar. Stiles locked eyes with a guy, he was familiar looking, curly haired with a little stubble and adorable freckles and HOT. He smiled. _Finally._ _____________________________________________

“Oh my god. Greenberg?!?!?!” Stiles looked up. Lydia was staring at the guy he had been in the middle of an awesome make out session with. “I hate it when Jackson’s right.” She winked at the two of them and flounced off, presumably looking for Jackson.

Stiles looked at Bryan. It clicked. No wonder he looked familiar.

“Bryan Greenberg? From high school?”

Bryan smiled at him sheepishly. “Hey Stiles. So uh, Jackson kinda... told me his plans for tonight? And said he was trying to get you to have a good time, and he mentioned where you guys were going and, I mean, I always had a crush on you in high school, and I think, somehow, Jackson knew that, so I figured, you know, maybe I could come too? And maybe we’d hit it off? People didn’t really notice me in high school except for Coach Finsto---” Stiles stopped him with a kiss.

“You were the weird kid with the softest looking curly hair who tried his fucking hardest despite all the shit coach threw at you. What an asshole right?”

Bryan just smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the dance floor. “C’mon! I love this song.”

They exchanged numbers at some point and made out some more but before he knew it, Lydia was yelling at him that they needed to leave, that Jackson was way too drunk and Scott and Allison were reaching indecent levels of PDA and they just needed to get out of there. Stiles kissed Bryan one last time, murmured a quick, “I’ll call you!” and ran behind Lydia.

They managed to get Jackson to Stiles’s in once piece, but once they got there everyone bailed. Allison needed to be up early the next morning to open the shop, and of course Scott went with her, following her like the puppy he was. Lydia mumbled something about not having seen Erica all day (which was a filthy filthy lie) and before he knew it, it was just him and Jackson laying on the couches trying to work up enough energy to change for bed.

“So you and Greenberg huh?” Crap. Stiles was hoping he hadn’t noticed. “I’m not sure why Lydia thinks its such a bad idea. He’s cute now, right Stilinski? Hell, _I_ thought he was cute and if you tell Danny I said that I will _end_ you. Tell me you got his number.”

“I did.” Jackson sat up then, looking smug and triumphant. “I am so good at this. I don’t know why Lydia was freaking out. I know you were into Derek, but nothing was happening there right? Guy’s a total douche, Stiles.” Stiles cringed. Despite the fact that Derek had been an ass to him, hearing Jackson say it felt wrong. Derek wasn’t a bad person. He scrambled desperately to find a change in subject, finally jumping up suddenly and walking to the kitchen.

“Hey Jacks, why don’t you go change into sweats or something and I’ll make us some hot chocolate?”

Jackson sat up immediately at the idea of hot chocolate (seriously, biggest sweet tooth EVER) and made his way to Stiles’s room muttering about needing a toothbrush and that this conversation was far from over.

Stiles made the hot chocolate (with an actual slab of swiss chocolate and in a pan over the stove, not with some stupid powdered packet), added some caramel syrup to Jackson’s and made his way to his room. It was most likely going to be a long night.

________________________________________

Stiles woke up the next morning to Jackson sitting cross-legged next to him on the bed eating a croissant and texting rapidly on Stiles’s phone.

“Ugh, Jacks you’re getting crumbs _everywhere_. Plus, where’d you get a croissant from?”

“McCall brought them over a little while ago. He brought coffee too. Guess he went to the shop to help Allison open this morning.” Stiles’s phone buzzed and before he could reach it, Jackson had swatted his hand away and was already replying to the text message.

“Jacks, who are you texting?” It was probably Lydia or something, in which case Stiles could just go back to sleep like he desperately wanted.

“Greenberg.”

Stiles sat up abruptly, nearly falling off the bed in his haste to grab his phone from Jackson. “Seriously, Jackson?! What the hell!?” Stiles opened his messages to see over a hundred messages sent between him and Bryan.

“Look you like him right? I knew you would take forever to make the first move, so I kinda did it for you.”

Stiles just looked at him, fuming and Jackson slickly took the cell phone out of his hands. “What exactly do you mean by ‘the first move’ Jackson?”

“You guys are having dinner tonight at 8 at the French place on Front St. I already called and made reservations. Bet you’re glad Lyds and I did some shopping for you now, huh? I doubt you have a single thing you could’ve worn to that place before yesterday.”

“Jackson, seriously? I can’t believe you did that! Actually, who am I kidding. That sounds exactly like you. I really shouldn’t even be surprised right now. How long have you been texting him for pretending to be me?”

“Only about an hour. He really likes you. All of his replies have been in under 30 seconds. Way to go Stilinski, you must have more game than I thought.”

“An _hour_ Jackson?! What the hell have you guys been talking about?!”

Jackson looked up and grinned, epitomizing the cat-that-got-the-canary look. “He likes the Mets, Stiles.”

 

“Ask him if he’ll marry me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I OFFICIALLY LOVE STILES/JACKSON BRO-TIME. It's pretty much the best thing ever. I tried really hard to stick Danny in here somehow, but it didn't really seem to work that well. But don't worry, "Dax" is gonna have some really adorable scenes coming up. 
> 
> Greenberg in my fic is modeled after the actual Bryan Greenberg...an actor that I know from OTH, but you guys may know him from Bride Wars, Friends with Benefits, How to Make it in America and a bunch of other things. Here's a [pic](http://howtomakeitinamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/bryan-greenberg-31.jpg) for those of you who would like to see :D  
> Cute right? I thought so.....
> 
> And of course, you guys wanna see Stiles's club outfit right?? Of COURSE you do!!
> 
> [Shirt](http://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/2012/05/05/ralph-lauren-red-v-neck-t-shirt-product-1-3446483-731260597_large_flex.jpeg)
> 
> [Boxers](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZk4vjNX1YITm9POLqxWip28ep0X5S-XL6Yglga0JPyY-5I5zMvg)
> 
> [White Skinny Jeans](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXMSK_Qp5CdnKTvqXhvyLKNZZrSQhvZzkdSornqtlPMr3k4wCjHw)
> 
> [Hairstyle (Inspired by Dylan's Vogue Photoshoot)](http://bestof.provocateuse.com/images/photos/dylan_o_brien_96.jpg)
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO: my head cannon Laura Hale is [the GORGEOUS Meghan Ory](http://i2.listal.com/image/3963390/936full-meghan-ory.jpg)


	8. In Which There Are Wolf Puppies and Hit Lists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all, really. Derek POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I wouldn't make you wait too long for a new chapter. I guess I lied? I didn't mean to though I promise! 
> 
> To everyone new who has commented/kudos-ed/bookmarked/subscribed: Hugs & kisses to you all!  
> To everyone who continues to read my silly little story despite the terrible update schedule: You are all beautiful beautiful people. I love you so much. 
> 
> Here's some Derek for ya!

He was in his room, debating whether or not he should go out and apologize or just wait it out until Stiles and Lydia left to avoid the whole situation, when Erica finally came in.

“Derek, what the hell.” He cringed. He didn’t want to talk about this again. He didn’t understand why Erica couldn’t just... _not_ invite Stiles over for a little while. Until Derek got over him.

She continued, “Look, I get that you’re doing the whole ‘bro code’ don’t sleep with an ex thing for Isaac, but I honestly don’t think he cares. I don’t know who he’s dating, but I’ve never seen him so mellow and happy. _You_ are the only one angsting over this.”

“Erica...God, why don’t you get that I. Don’t. Want. To. See. Him. I don’t understand why you insist on throwing us together at every possible moment.”

She snorts. “Don’t even try that bullshit with me Derek. You think I don’t know that you still go to that damn coffee shop every day? If you didn’t want to see him, you’d find another place to get your coffee. _You’re_ hung up on _him_ , and _he’s_ hung up on _you_ , and you’re being stupid and childish and you need to GET. OVER. IT.”

“That’s different. I go there to work.”

It sounded lame even to him.

“Stop being an idiot Derek. Talk to Isaac if you need to, but either you move the fuck on or you do something about this infatuation of yours. It’s about time you were happy for once. You need to figure out how much this has to do with Isaac and Stiles and how much it has to do with Kate.” Derek snapped his head up from his laptop and stared at her.

She gave him one last piercing look and stalked out the door.

He hated when she did that. It was bad enough that she managed to always know exactly what he was thinking but it was even worse when she dropped bombs like that and then fucking disappeared.

She knew how much he hated it when she brought _her_ up. That subject was against the fucking rules and Erica knew it. And it _wasn’t_ the reason he didn’t want to be with Stiles. Stiles was annoying and he talked too much and Derek like _quiet_. Plus, Stiles liked the fucking Tullys. Everyone knew the Starks were better. 

_________________________

 Once a month on Saturdays he and Boyd went to the local national park and led group of hikes through the preserve. Boyd had been doing it for years and when Derek moved to the area, he had started doing it as a way to stay fit. It didn’t hurt that one corner of the preserve had a wolf sanctuary either. Derek fucking _loves_ wolves.

Today when he got to the visitor’s center to check in, his supervisor asked him if he and Boyd would be willing to chaperone a group of kids to see the wolves in the sanctuary today instead of leading a hike. Since he’d been running close to six miles everyday for weeks to rid himself of frustration, he figured that would be okay. As long as the kids weren’t too annoying. Or loud.

So of course when he go to the pen with the wolves, the group of about ten 8-year-old boys and girls were howling at the top of their lungs. _It was going to be a long morning_. Luckily for Derek, Boyd had younger siblings and knew exactly how to quiet them down. He even managed to get them to sit down and _listen_.  He started talking about wolves and their daily habits and how they lived in a pack and explained that packs were kind of a wolf version of an extended family. Derek just stood there awkwardly, impressed by his best friend’s ability to keep a group of kids interested and listening for an entire 45 minutes. Finally, Boyd decreed that the kids could _quietly and slowly_ approach the pen to see the wolves.

“Mister.” Derek felt a pull on his sleeve.

He looked down to where the small voice had come from to see a tiny brunette girl looking up at him intently. She was 8? She looked 5. Maybe Derek was a bad at judging ages?

“Uh... yes?” He responded awkwardly. Oh no, a child. Where had it even come from? He thought all of them were glued to the pen with Boyd.

“How many wolves do you have?” She asked, and let go now that she had secured his attention.

He stuttered for a moment. “Well, they're not mine” he said but she continued to look at him intently. “There are twelve in the pen.”

She nodded, accepting his answer. “Okay. They don’t bite do they? Are they a pack?”

“Yeah,” he said, taken aback but happy he wasn’t being asked about howls or whatever 8 year olds irritated adults with. “It’s pretty impressive, actually. Most wolves would fight if they were put together with strangers like this. But they seem happy. They’re like a family now. And no, they won’t bite. They may lick you though!”

“Ooh, well, that's okay!” the little girl said with a huge, bright smile. It was infectious. “Who’s the alpha? What are their ages? And do you ever let them out in the forest to hunt? Do they come back on their own? Do they have friends? Are _you_ friends with them?”

He just stared for a second. The questions should annoy him, but this little girl with her dark puppy dog brown eyes and chocolate brown hair falling in perfect waves down her back was so enthusiastic and cute, it was hard not to be mesmerized by her smile.

“Well,” Derek started, unable to keep himself from laughing.  “I guess I am! Wolves can actually be really friendly, just like dogs. They just have to know that you like them!” These were the kinds of questions he could answer. Maybe not all kids were so bad, if they were this nerdy.

“Can you teach _me_ to be friends with the wolves??” she asked, with a look that was a mixture between pleading and determined. He could do this. Probably.

“Well, okay,” he said. “First thing, let me introduce you! Follow me.” He led her to the gate.

“Awesome! Thanks,” she said with the huge smile and at first, just stared at the wolves. But then, before they could reach the gate, she started again. “Who are the nicest? Are there more boys or girls? Do they sleep at night or during the day? Oh my God, you don’t feed them sheep do you? Sheep are so cute!” God, she talked a lot. At least her enthusiasm was refreshing, not annoying.

“I can answer all of those questions for you. But first...” He pointed out a small, dark brown wolf to her. “This wolf’s name is Kali. She’s still a puppy, but she’s strong.” Kali was a good choice. She was small for her age, and practically the wolf version of the little girl in front of him. Derek was certain the girl’s hair and Kali’s fur were the exact same color. The girl looked awed as she stared at the cub in front of her.

“Hi Kali!” the little girl squealed adorably, jumping up lithely to hang on the gate. “My name is Cora Stilinski-McCall. ”

“Stilinski-McCall??” Derek asked her, unable to stop himself from verbalising his reaction. _What._

“Yup!” Of all of the kids to have decided to come up to him. Of all of the kids to be awesome. Of course this was Stiles’s little sister. She looked like a perfect mix of Stiles’s pale skin, cheekbones and enthusiasm mixed  with Scott’s puppy eyes, hair color, and kindness. Why was this his life? He looked down at the girl who, apparently was still talking to him.  _Figures chatter like that runs in the family._

“I have two last names because the world needs to get past the misogynistic patriarchal system that exists today. My brother told me that. He’s really smart. What’s your name?”

“Oh.” Derek said, his brain finally catching up to the situation. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? Nice to meet you Cora, my name is Derek.”

“Derek. I like that name! I’m happy we’re friends! We are friends right?” The look on her face switched from pleasure to uncertainty so fast that Derek felt his heart catch. How was she this cute?

“Of course we are!” Like Derek could say anything else.

Cora grinned, looking for a second _incredibly_ like Stiles.  “Excellent! Introduce me to the rest of the wolves now.” _Huh. She’s bossy like him too_.

“Absolutely.” he replied.

_________________________________________________

Derek absolutely did not linger at the sanctuary until all the kids had been picked up and he absolutely didn’t stay to see who would come to pick Cora up. Except, of course he did. An older couple who he assumed to be Melissa McCall and Sheriff Stilinski came to pick the little girl up and watched her adoringly as she chattered on about Kali, Duke, Ethan and Aiden. Derek was not disappointed by the lack of brothers in the pick-up party. He wasn’t!

Later that evening after Derek had showered and was trying to find something to eat, (Erica was pointedly ignoring all his hints over text lamenting the lack of a decent dinner) his phone lit up with an image of Boyd grinning and wearing a pair of aviator Ray Bans. Derek sighed as he answered it; he could maybe get away with moping alone, but he wasn’t going to ignore his friends because of it.

“Boyd, hey, what’s up?” He asked, pushing the tub of ice cream (why was there a tub of ice cream in the _refrigerator_ ) to the side to reach the orange juice, the only ‘fruit’ in the house.

“You’re coming out with me.” Boyd said, with no greeting.

“What?” Derek asked, “No?”

“Derek _please_ ,” Boyd said, sounding desperate. Boyd was not usually someone who pleaded.

“No. Boyd it’s 7, I have plans.” He evaded, inwardly sighing that Erica’s culinary genius came with general absent-mindedness, giving in and transferring the ice cream from the fridge to the freezer.

“Derek. If you had plans tonight, I’d know about them. Have you forgotten that I’ve known you since we were four years old? You’re probably moping about that hot guy you crush-broke up with for no legitimate reason and watching the nature channel. David Attenborough is fine if you're sick, but not on a freaking _Saturday night_. Jeez.” Derek opened his mouth to snark back but he continued speaking before Derek could comment, “ _Please_ D. I’m being set up. By _your_ sister. So I _have_ to go or I’ll be fired or castrated or something.”

“Okay, I’m confused. How will you get fired?” Derek stated incredulously.

“Have met your sister?” Boyd asked. “Laura Hale can make anything she wants happen. She _knows everyone_. I also notice that you didn’t oppose the castration theory. Your sister is fucking scary, man.”

Derek snorted,  “Wait, Laura set you up on a date? Why did you agree?”

“Like I had a choice in the matter!” Boyd exclaimed.  “And now you have to come with me so that if this guy or girl doesn’t like literature, you can talk to them about plants or baseball or whatever people entertain themselves with when they don’t like books.”

“Boyd I’m not getting dressed up to be your third wheel.”

“It’s not just the two of us, Laura and Peter are going. Anyways, isn’t Erica out with Lydia tonight? Do you even have dinner to eat there? I’m quite aware that you can’t cook for shit.” Derek looked down at the tall glass of orange juice he had poured and looked at the empty refrigerator again, willing something to appear by magic. “Derek. You owe me. I _saved_ you. You remember how I saved you, don’t you? I don’t need to retell that story, right? You totally owe me.”

Derek let out a sigh, which Boyd registered immediately and exclaimed, “Awesome! I’ll pick you up in ten.” And before Derek could answer, the phone went dead.

Derek carried his glass of juice into his room and looked at the dress shirts hanging in his open closet. He considered wearing tattered jeans and his old college track team tee, just to piss Peter and his sister off. Because this whole setting Boyd, of all people, up clearly had an ulterior motive hinged on it. There are many things Peter and Laura would do to force Derek to sit in a room and be heckled by them for an evening. Derek sighed and opted for a dark blue shirt to go with his dress pants. He set down his empty juice glass, and pulled his grey henley over his head to replace it with the button-down. It was the style that Erica said “accented his rockin' biceps”. If there was one thing Peter hated, it was people out-shining him in attractiveness. And if Derek was going to be dragged to a poncy restaurant to eat fish eggs and have his pseudo love life laughed at for two hours, he was going to do it looking hot.

____________________________

Derek was going to _kill_ Laura. And then maybe Boyd. His supposed best friend who _completely abandoned him to the mercy of his sister and uncle in a public fucking place._  Boyd and Lily, Laura’s paralegal, were absolutely perfect for each other as far as he could see, and it was obvious Laura knew that when she set them up. Which meant that she manipulated Boyd who manipulated Derek into showing up. Less than twenty minutes after they met Boyd _insisted_ Lily needed to see the latest exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences and they _left_! Seriously. He needs new friends. Or a shot of tequila...or an entire bottle of tequila.

“Honestly, nephew. Is it so hard to spend time with your family?” Oh yeah. Did he mention he was going to kill Peter too? Because Peter definitely deserves to be on that particular list. “I don’t understand why you insist on staring morosely into space when you could be engaging in scintillating conversation with your sister and myself.”

Laura laughed, a cute tinkling noise that Derek normally loved to hear. She laughed so little after their parents died that now every time he heard it, it was a reminder that things got easier. Better. Today however, the laughs were far too close to one another, and far too much at Derek’s expense. He did _not_ sign up for this shit. They had been there for an hour and hadn’t even ordered dinner yet. A few appetizers were scattered around their table (courtesy of the chef, apparently Laura truly did know _everyone_ ) and the drinks menu had been perused thoroughly, but the actual dinner menus had yet to be opened. Derek couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t been handed one. He could just go home, but he was _hungry_. Why should he miss a chance for a free dinner on Peter?

“Come on baby bro. Tell us about your day! Tell us about your life, seriously, tell us anything!” Oh yeah. Maybe to avoid that.

Derek levelled her with a cool gaze. “Lo, my life consists of work and little else. Why don’t _you_ tell me and Uncle Peter here about the guy you’ve been seeing. You’ve managed to keep it under wraps for awhile now, I think it’s time we met this guy. Make sure he’s worthy and all that.”  

“You’re seeing someone Laura? Well, well, _this_ is certainly a surprise. And Derek managed to learn about the affair before me? I need to step up my game!” Derek rolled his eyes. Leave it to his uncle to take some random Laura was dating and turn it into an “affair.” His family was made up entirely of Drama Queens.

Laura blushed. “It’s not an _affair_ Uncle Peter. It’s turning out to be a lot more serious that I had anticipated. I really like this guy okay?” She looked down at her hands avoiding the pointed gazes of Derek and Peter. “He’s sweet, and kind, and so smart, not to mention _gorgeous_ and amazing in be--”

“LAURA STOP. Fuck, I don’t want to hear that.” Derek glared at her while she looked at him, all of a sudden completely unembarrassed. “There’s still something you aren’t telling us. You’ve never hidden your boyfriends before, _something’s_ up Lo. Tell us what it is.”

“Nothings up Der-bear. I haven’t brought him around because I _really_ like him and you and Peter will just scare him off.”

“So when exactly do you plan on introducing us to him Laura, your wedding day?” Derek grinned. Nothing paralleled his uncle’s sass when it wasn’t directed towards him. Maybe he could take Peter off his hit list. This was shaping up to be an amusing evening. 

Laura smiled softly, “Promise Uncle Peter, you guys will definitely meet him before any legal action is taken”

“I should hope so” Peter muttered.

“Now on to bigger and better things.” Laura’s soft smile stretched into a mischievous one, almost rivaling that of the Cheshire Cat. “Who’s the hot blonde with killer blue eyes that’s been following you around at the office? He certainly isn’t a client, and your door is suspiciously locked whenever he’s over. Talk about an _affair_ Peter. Jeez you don’t even need a bed to get down and dirty do you?"

 _Oh my god!_ Derek seriously loved Laura. He did. There was literally no one else who could dig up dirt on _Peter_. He sat back in his chair, pleased that the attention was off of him and enjoyed the sounds of his sister and Peter teasing one another. This evening was definitely much better than he could ever have anticipated. 

Three hours later, they had finally finished dinner, after dinner drinks, dessert and after-dessert drinks. Seriously, they were all on their way to becoming alcoholics. The waiter (who had been suspiciously lingering at their table making sure Derek had a refreshed drink every 20 minutes, asking Derek if he needed anything else, bringing Derek extra towels when his fell on the ground) brought over their check and Peter snatched it up, scribbling something on the receipt and then sticking in three pristine one hundred dollar bills. He muttered a quick “No change and you’re welcome” to the waiter before they all got up and made their way outside. Derek said his goodbyes and I love yous to Laura as she left in her car and followed Peter. Since Boyd had ditched him, Peter had graciously offered him a ride home. Just as Derek sat in the front seat of his uncle’s vintage Aston Martin (seriously the guy watched too much James Bond) his phone buzzed, signaling a text.

From: **Unknown**

_So I seriously hope this is the number for the hot green eyed brunette and not the hot goateed brunette. Can I buy you a drink sometime?_

“Wow, that was fast.” Derek looked over at his Uncle who was staring at Derek’s phone with thinly concealed glee painted all over his features.

“What did you do?” Derek asked him through gritted teeth.

“Why I wrote down your number of course! You need to get laid, nephew, this sour-puss act has gone on long enough, and that waiter was practically gagging for it. You’re welcome!” Derek just stared incredulously as Peter smirked and sped out of the restaurant parking lot.

Derek is taking back all his warm and fuzzy feelings from earlier. Peter is _definitely_ back on the fucking list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gratuitous use of wolf puppies, adorable Derek, and cute 8 year olds? I can think of nothing better. Plus Derek can't really figure out girls OR kids in my head-canon so of course he had to deal with both. 
> 
> THANK YOU to crazykookie. Seriously guys. This chapter LITERALLY would not exist (or be half as cute) without her. Cora is her creation completely, I just ran w/ it a little. 
> 
> Also Tullys & Starks=Games of Thrones references. I am so ridiculously excited for Season 3 to start in a week that I couldn't help but stick a little something into my fic. 
> 
> Please comment; it really, truly means the world to me to hear what you guys have to say. Good/bad/silly/lovely. Lay it all on me!
> 
> Jackson POV up next. Are those wedding bells I hear??? Not sure...guess you'll have to stay tuned! ;)


	9. In Which There is a Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson POV. Takes place about 4 days after Stiles and Greenberg's date (and Derek's dinner w Laura and Peter) aka 5 days after the club night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES. I suck I know. Thanks for sticking with it???
> 
>  
> 
> Also: Someone (aka my annoying little sister) has pointed out to me the absolute lack of any type of Derek/Stiles interaction for the past few chapters. Sorry about that, this somehow turned into an ensemble fic instead of just a Stiles&Derek one so bear w me. There are a lot of relationships and characters I'm juggling right now, trying to give everyone a decent amount of story. I've had requests for the development of some characters so I'm trying to accommodate all of that. There is still a LOT of story to tell, so I hope you guys stick with me!!!! This chapter will not have much (or any) Sterek interaction (don't kill me) but the next few will please you greatly, I promise.

Jackson walked into the coffee shop on Thursday morning with purpose. It had been four days since Stilinski’s date with Greenberg and he had yet to weasel out any details. Stiles had remained weirdly silent about the whole thing and when Jackson had cornered Brian at work, the only thing he’d gotten out of him was a ridiculous lovestruck smile  and some sort of vague mumble that they were seeing each other again this coming weekend. He needed _details_ dammit. He was inches away from getting something over Lydia. She didn’t think this match was going to work out at all. Plus, he’d never admit it, but Stiles had been elementary in getting him and Danny together, and Jackson felt like he owed the hyperactive idiot something in return. Thursdays were Stiles’s all-day shifts at the shop and Jackson had the day off work. He would sit there and annoy the shit out of Stiles until he cracked.

When he walked in, though, Stiles was nowhere to be seen. He cursed inwardly and made his way over to the counter where Scott and Allison were gazing into each other's eyes.

"Seriously, how are you allowed to look at each other like that in public? Get a fucking room." They both blushed, turning nearly identical shades of red as Allison looked at him apologetically and Scott glared in what he must have thought was menacingly. Jackson ignored him and turned to Allison. "Where's Stilinski?"

Allison looked around, seemingly surprised that Stiles wasn't in the room with them. Jackson did a quick sweep of the shop as well, and noticed Derek (also known as asshole-who-didn't-realize-Stiles-is-a-fucking- _catch_ ) watching him curiously. He snorted and turned back to Allison. "Let me guess, Scott showed up and somewhere in the middle of the love confessions and Eskimo kisses, Stiles snuck into the back to bake or nap or something else completely ridiculous." He didn't wait for an answer, just made his way towards the back door. "My macchiatto better be ready when I come back out, and Allison, don't you _dare_ let McCall anywhere near it." He stole a quick glance back at Derek to see the man staring at him with open dislike on his face. Jackson smirked cockily back as he pushed through the swing door to the kitchen.

Stiles was laying on the couch in the back room, mouth hanging open, splayed on his back snoring lightly. He saw the dark circles under Stiles's eyes, but even they didn't dissuade Jackson from plopping down on the couch, right on Stiles's stomach. His eyes opened, hands flailing wildly as he sat up abruptly to see who had so rudely awakened him. He saw Jackson smirking at him through bleary, blinking eyes and groaned, slumpning back down into his previous laying position.

"You're an ass, Jacks. What the hell. How is it you're the one in a relationship with the most perfect guy on the planet while I'm the single one?" Stiles finally mumbled sleepily, eyes still closed and arms trying to push Jackson off his stomach.

Well that was interesting. Did he and Greenberg not hit it off after all?

"What are you talking about? From what I hear, you have a date this weekend!" Jackson replied snarkily, feeling ridiculously pleased with himself when Stiles finally opened his eyes and gared at him.

"Who told you-oh right. You guys fucking work together. Jackson I beg of you, please stay out of it!" Stiles groaned loudy as he tried to get up, still trying (unsuccessfully) to push Jackson off of him.

"There's no way Stilinski. You could, uh, say that I'm _invested_ in this relationship. You deserve to be happy Stiles. I really think you and Greenberg would be good together."

Stiles propped himself up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes at Jackson, who wasn't meeting his eye.

"Why the sudden interest in my--Oh my god. Jackson, tell me you did NOT _place bets on my possible relationship_.''

"No problem. I'm not saying anything."

"You did didn't you? With who? Lydia definitely. Scott maybe?" Stiles scrunched up his nose, seemingly deep in thought. "Danny's far too mature. Allison is the tricky one. One the one hand, she acts like a princess, on the other, she's got a serious competetive edge. I think I'm gonna go with a yes for Allison."

"Still not saying anything. Back to the topic on hand. You guys are going out this weekend?"

"Oh no mister. You get no details from me. Go ask your new pal Greenberg." Jackson snorted, shifting to the side as Stiles began moving his legs and using his knees to help him push Jackson off. He didn't make it any easier though, leaning back against the couch, putting as much of his weight as possible on Stiles, only to be rewarded by a grunt and an irritated "Get the fuck OFF Jackson."

"I'll get up when you tell me what's happening this weekend."

Stiles stopped moving and flopped back down on the couch. "So it's like that is it? Why don't _you_ tell _me_ about your plans for the weekend. It's yours and Danny's anniversary on Sunday isn't it?"

Jackson smiled smugly. "Yep, four years."

"God you guys are sickening. If you could see your face right now. I swear you're currently giving _Scott_ a run for his title in the lovesick puppy face category." Jackson swatted at Stiles's head while he chuckled. "Anyways what're you doing to celebrate? Gonna surprise Danny with an impromptu trip to Morocco again?

"Fuck you Stilinski, that was romantic as hell. You know as well as I do that _Casablanca_ is Danny's favorite movie. Plus we have an arrangement. I plan the odd year anniversaries, he plans the even ones. This year is all on him."

Stiles grinned, "Oh I know. We had a nice long chat yesterday."

Jackson narrowed his eyes at the man under him, "What do you know?" He got up finally, looming over Stiles who he continued to lay sprawled out on the stupid ratty couch. "Do you know what he's planning? Did he buy a gift? Fuck, I knew I should have gotten him a gift. It's not better than a trip to Morocco is it? Stiles seriously you have to tell me what you know." Suddenly, Jackson's eyes narrowed as he realized Stiles was sniggering and nonchalantly standing up and moving to the front of the kitchen. "You little shit. You don't know anything do you. Nice diversion tactic."

Stiles just grinned as he opened the door to the front of the coffee shop. "Oh Jackson. Sometimes, you are just so damn easy."

Fuck.

\-----------------------------------------------------

He wasn't expecting a big weekend of plans, Danny had always preferred things low-key, and Jackson just enjoyed spending time with his boyfriend. Since he started med school last year, and Jackson started working at the company, any time they could spend together was far more than enough. The weekend had been a lazy one so far with breakfasts in bed and snuggles over Chinese food and sports movies.

It was Sunday now-their actual anniversary date and Danny was taking him out to dinner. Despite the blindfold on his eyes and the fact that they had been driving for over an hour, Jackson felt completely at ease. No matter what was happening in his life, his work or with his parents, if he was with Danny he was home. Nothing else really mattered. He leaned back in his seat and tangled his fingers with Danny's and eagerly waited for the car to come to a rest, enjoying the quiet moment with his boyfriend.

Roughly 40 minutes later, he felt Danny ease into a parking spot and turn the car off. Jackson reached up to take the blindfold off, but before he could, he felt Danny's  hands on his.

"Not yet babe." Jackson groaned but brought his hands back down to his lap. He heard Danny chuckle as he got out of the car and a few seconds later, heard his own door opening. Danny grabbed his hand as a stepped out and Jackson felt a soft kiss on his lips before Danny was pulling him along swiftly. Danny _finally_ stopped walking after a minute or so and stepped behind Jackson, reaching up to untie the blindfold. Jackson kept his eyes closed for a second after it had come off, and felt Danny wrap his arms around his waist. He placed his hands over Danny's, and slowly opened his eyes to see... _the Beacon Hills High School lacrosse field??? What the hell?_ He turned around to face his boyfriend, confusion evident on his his features. Danny was looking at him with a small smirk on his face and leaned forwards slightly to kiss Jackon full on the lips. Jackson let himself get caught up in the kiss for about 30 seconds but his curiosity won out, preventing him from enjoying it any more.

"You sure we're in the right place, Danny?” he asked, glancing around, “I didn't really picture spending my anniversary at the BHHS lacrosse field, and I'm kinda overdressed. Not to mention hungry." Danny full out laughed at that, started to turn Jackson back around to face away from him.

"Don't worry babe, I got you covered." He nudged Jackson's head down and that's when Jackson caught a glint of light he'd missed before. There was a perfect red checkered picnic blanket in the middle of the field with tiny lit tea candles surrounding it and a large wicker picnic basket in the middle. Danny grabbed his hand and started leading them towards the blanket, looking nervously back at Jackson with every couple of steps.

"You made me a picnic?" Jackson was no doubt a little confused by the location but couldn't deny that he loved the idea of a romantic picnic under the stars.  He and Danny used to by sandwiches and then go out to the park to eat them under the stars back in college all the time, but they'd never had an actual picnic with the red tablecloth and a picnic basket. "You hate sappy crap like that."

"But you secretly love it. And I'd do anything for you, Jackson Whittemore." Jackson felt a blush start to form on his cheeks and neck, as he smiled softly. After four years with Danny, it still gave him a thrill when Danny said things like that. It was the most cliche thing in the world, but he'd been lucky enough to fall in love with his best friend. No one knew him better than Danny. No one ever would.

Danny sat down then and started pulling things out of the picnic basket. Jackson watched in amazement as Danny pulled out all his Italian favorites. Bruschetta with tomato and basil, caprese toast, marinated calamari, stuffed eggplant with shrimp and garlic parmesan, and at the very bottom somehow, a chilled bottle of _Prosecco_ he recognized from the vineyard he and Danny visited when they took a trip to Florence after college graduation. It all looked mouth wateringly perfect.

Forty minutes later the food and wine were gone. Jackson was laying with his head in Danny's lap while they both stared up at the stars in companionable silence. Suddenly Danny leaned down and kissed Jackson on the forehead, "Up Jacks. Time for dessert!"

Jackson smiled mischievously, "Is that what we're calling it now?" and grabbed Danny around the neck to kiss him, chaste and sweet, with a hint of something more. Danny stops him with a peck to his lower lip before things go any further, lightly sliding out from under Jackson’s head and standing up. Jackson lay on the ground and closed his eyes, a lazy smile appearing on his face as he listened to his boyfriend rifle through the contents of the picnic basket. He felt things being placed on the blanket next to him, but didn’t open his eyes until he felt Danny’s hand tap lightly on his thigh. He opened one eye at a time and looked up at Danny.

“So why are we at the lacrosse field anyways, babe? I mean, the picnic was amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it seems like a pretty random place for it.”

“I have our old gear in my car. Tell you what, you get a shot on me, and I’ll tell you.”

Jackson jumped up, any desire for dessert forgotten. “You’re on Mahealani, prepare to spill your guts.”

A couple minutes later, Danny was in the goal and Jackson was standing about 30 feet away, crosse in hand and ball on the ground in front of him. Of course Finstock hadn’t changed the combination to the fuse box in the years since they’d graduated, so they were able to put on a few of the field’s lights.  There wasn’t going to be an real tackling (well, maybe some of the dirty kind) so they had both skipped putting on pads. Danny had rolled up his dress shirt up nearly to his elbows, his strong tan forearms on display as he stood confidently in the goal that had been his domain in high school. Standing there in his tailored dress pants and tight shirt with a couple buttons undone, hair slightly mussed from when Jackson had grabbed him earlier, he looked a million times better than Jackson could have ever imagined. He looked delectable.

Adrenaline coursed through Jackson’s veins as he was brought back to the present, crosse in his hands and perfectly mown grass beneath his feet. His hands tightened around the crosse, knuckles whitening as he swooped down to pick up the ball in front of him. He remembered this, remembered playing in high school, getting caught up in the game, in the competition, in the rush from the crowd, and the approval and support he always got from not only Lydia, but Danny too. This was _their_ sport, the one thing that they had _always_ had in common, had kept them together despite other relationships, through Jackson's rocky adolescence and Danny’s string of boyfriends. Jackson was beginning to understand why this spot would be where they came for their anniversary. He looked up to see Danny watching him intently, shoulders hunched in a defensive position, brown eyes gleaming with anticipation and joy, pupils slightly dilated and Jackson began running as fast as he could towards the goal and his perfect boyfriend. He raced towards the goal, gaining speed and momentum, and adopting the slightly zigzag position he was used to from years of playing lacrosse despite the fact that there were no defenders. As he got closer to the goal, he saw Danny just watching him, watching Jackson get closer, the slight smile on his face growing larger with every second that passed. He didn’t think about it though, his competitive edge overcoming any other curiosities and when he finally got close enough, he swung the ball into the upper right corner-the corner Danny always missed because most players always tended to shoot center left. He stopped a couple feet from the goal, grinning triumphantly as Danny missed the save, and fell to his knees.

Jackson whooped and spun in a circle, his crosse held up in both arms above his head. As he turned back towards Danny, he saw the other man still on his knees, looking up adoringly at Jackson, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat.

Danny looking at him like that always made him feel like the most treasured person on the planet, even if he didn’t deserve it. Jackson knew he was no saint, but when Danny looked at him like that it was easy to see how much Danny adored him, how much Danny loved him. Jackson just hoped that his looks conveyed the same depth of emotion. He could never really find the words to say everything he felt about Danny.

Danny smiled up at him, not bothering to stand up from his knees. “Come here Jacks. I believe I owe you something.”  Jackson grinned, dropping his stick as he jogged over to his boyfriend. But he stopped abruptly when he saw Danny reach into his pocket and pull out a thick silver band.  inlaid with 6 tiny, perfect diamonds.

“Babe, you’re my everything. You’re the Luke to my Lorelai, the Kevin to my Scotty, the Rachel to my Ross, the Nathan to my Haley,” Danny said. “You are my other half, my first thought in the morning, my last thought at night, my first call when something good happens, my TV show soul-mate, and my very best friend. In one way or another you have _always_ been all these things, and I swear to _God_ the best day of my life was the day we finally got our act together. I love you so much Jacks, will you please do me the honor of being my husband?”

Jackson couldn’t speak. There was a reason this was Danny proposing and not him, he didn’t know how to use his words, didn’t know how to put into terms what he felt for Danny, what Danny meant to him, how much he really truly didn’t deserve the amazingness that was Danny Mahealani.

Jackson dropped to his knees and plucked the ring out of Danny’s hand. He slid it onto his finger and took a second to admire the way it looked. He looked back up at _his fiance_ and and saw on Danny’s face everything he was feeling. He felt like all his dreams were coming true in that moment. Still unable to form actual words, he leaned forward and kissed Danny full on the lips, starting out chaste, and heartbreakingly sweet and slowly licking his way into something more serious, more frantic, something downright _needy_. The best part of the kiss though, was feeling Danny’s smile on his lips, and knowing that he had just made the single best decision of his entire life.

After what may have been eons, but was probably only a minute or two, Danny pulled back, eyes twinkling with unshed tears and smile threatening to overcome his entire face. “So? You didn’t exactly answer the question.” He looked down then, where his right hand was intertwined with Jackson’s left, and ran his thumb over the ring on Jackson’s third finger.

“Of course it’s a fucking yes, Danny. Honestly, you’re miles out of his league, he’d be an absolute idiot to say anything but.” Stiles’s voice rang out from somewhere on his right, breaking Jackson out of the spell he’d been in since Danny had proposed.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Stilinski?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a lying liar who lies and I'm really sorry.  
> There are no plans at all to abandon this fic, and I wanna say I will update more regularly but w my school and job being what they are, I unfortunately cannot make any promises. PLEASE stick with me, PLEASE comment, PLEASE tell me your feels, good OR bad. <3 I honestly do love each and every one of you. 
> 
>  
> 
> In other news:  
> I'm kind of seriously embarassed by all the fluff that came out of me just now. This fic is supposed to be a rom-com dammit. I tend to forget sooner or later I actually need to actually get some "rom" in there. I hope this wasn't too disgustingly cheesy.
> 
>  
> 
> Kinda what I pictured the [ring](https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCtham9_emtjk61LA2YYU_qKLbciAQaG6gBrFSSWb8M9S_38e-) to be. The reason I made it six diamonds is because six is Danny's high school lacrosse number (Ugh, cheesy I know. Sorry.).  
> As a former sports player and someone who is feeling nostalgic about her high school sports days, I kinda made this chapter honor that a little. 
> 
> The couple comparisons reference:  
> Luke and Lorelai=Gilmore Girls AKA the best fucking show to ever exist IMO.  
> Kevin and Scotty=Brothers and Sisters. The most adorable gay couple I have ever had the pleasure of seeing on television.  
> Ross and Rachel=Friends. If you don't know this one shut off your computer immediately and go out and buy a TV. That shit is on TBS like every day.  
> Nathan and Haley=One Tree Hill. AKA the adorablest couple on the CW. 
> 
> ALSO coming up:  
> a wedding  
> jealousy and angst  
> new relationships  
> grandparents  
> and of course the usual snark and sarcasm that comes with a Stiles chapter! Stay Tuned!! 
> 
> <3


	10. In Which Sex on the Beach Ruins Things and Make Outs by the Pool Make Them Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles POV. Two and a half weeks after Danny's Proposal (aka the events in the last chapter).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOT WOOT new chapter! 
> 
> BTW I know I completely SUCK for how late this chapter is. I'm sorry. More notes at end. For now, just enjoy it!! =D

Stiles was in mother-fucking Hawaii. Actual island, palm-trees-everywhere, surf-and-sand-galore Hawaii. And because he had helped Danny set up that (fucking perfect) picnic for the proposal, it hadn't even cost him anything (thank God for the Mahealani trust fund). Speaking of proposals--what the fuck. Stiles would have been prepared to bet that out of all of their friends, Jackson definitely wouldn't be the first to get married. Danny, maybe, because he was a perfect ball of sunshine and dimples, but Jackson? At the very least, Scott and Allison should be married first. Shows how much he knows. Here he was in mother-fucking Hawaii trying desperately to figure out how to throw a perfect bachelor party in a city he hadn't been to before. As best man to Jackson, it was his duty to throw the best bachelor party ever. Well, until Scott's at least.

This was all pretty romantic though. The proposal had only been two weeks ago. The lease on Danny and Lydia's apartment was up at the end of the month and so Danny and Jackson had decided to move in together. But then, in some fit of chivalry (Stiles suspected it was Jackson's not-so-hidden romantic side mixed with his crazy obvious possessive side) Jackson had decided that they should be married before they moved in together. Danny's grandparents had insisted the wedding be held at their sprawling mansion in Kona and so the wedding party (Stiles, Danny, Jackson and Lydia) had flown out right away. They’d been there about 4 days already and the rest of their friends and other guests would arrive over the next few days; the actual wedding was in just one short week. If anyone could handle that, it was Lydia, party planning Goddess and groom's-maid (like that was even a real thing) to Danny.

Currently the four of them were in Macy’s, trying on suit after suit. Stiles had tried on a million different suits, which, at this point, were really all starting to look the same. I mean, was blue with gray pinstripes any different than gray with blue pinstripes? If there was a difference, he sure as hell couldn’t see it. Nevertheless, Lydia was being fucking _relentless_. You’d think it was her wedding the way she was going on and on about suit cuts and color coordination.

“Oh sweetie, that’s cute.” Crap, had he said that last bit out loud? “Today is a fucking _day on the beach_ compared to the suit fitting that will happen before _my_ wedding. And considering all three of you WILL be there, I suggest you get _very_ comfortable with this situation _very_ fast. We are not leaving here till I am satisfied this wedding party is dressed fucking _perfect_.” She leveled him with a gaze so heated it could melt glaciers, as he quickly averted his eyes and looked towards where Jackson was trying on a  dark blue (or was it fucking black? Stiles really couldn’t tell at this point) skinny suit just as he was mouthing _Nice one Stilinski_. Stiles flipped him off and went back to his pile of suits with a soft sigh.

Roughly one and a half hours later they each had a suit for the wedding. Stiles was just about ready to pass out from exhaustion and boredom. Although, as he watched the sales lady carefully tuck the three suits into three separate garment bags, he couldn’t help but feel awed and amazed that he was sharing this moment with Lydia, Danny, and Jackson. They had always been the golden fucking trio everywhere they went, with the best clothes, latest accessories, and all around VIP access to _everywhere_. And while Lydia had kept him at her side through a lot of it, in 10th grade he had never thought that he would be such a central player in the wedding of the (seemingly) flawless Jackson Whittemore, and the unrelentingly perfect Danny Mahealani. It had been him and Scott for so long, but sometime during college, Jackson and Danny had really become like brothers to him. Stiles shook his head fondly, and made his way over to the counter to pick up the bags.

“Sweetie, what are you doing?” He turned around to see Lydia with a reproachful look on her face.

“Uhh, grabbing the suits? We don’t want to leave them here, do we? Wouldn’t want these last 8 hours go to waste, now would we?”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “It hasn’t even been three hours, hun. Plus, you don’t want to carry those suits to all the other stores now, do you?”

“All. The. Other. Stores?!?!”

“Well, yeah. We still need to stop buy Express to get you outfits for the bachelor party and possibly a more casual change of clothes for the reception. Then, we need to get you all shoes to match your outfits.”

Stiles turned to Danny and Jackson, who were having a moment by the exit (into the mall, not into the parking lot, Stiles realized with growing horror).

“Guys! Jackson! Do something! I did NOT sign up for this shit!” Jackson just grinned back, the little shit.

“Yes you did, dum-dum. The minute you agreed to be my best man. Danny and I have been doing this shit with Lydia for _years_. Don’t you remember senior prom?”

Oh God. Senior prom. That was a repressed memory he had no intention of dredging up. Fuck.

“But. But _guys_. I’m in _Hawaii_. I want to go to the _beach_. I want a fucking Sex on the Beach and I want to meet a cute lifeguard and then possibly _have sex on said beac_ h. At this rate, I’ll need to have a vacation from my supposed tropical vacation!” Stiles honestly felt like crying. He was going back California literally the day after the wedding, back to the coffee shop and grading papers, and handling undergraduate whining. This was his only vacation time until _Christmas_. He was going to take advantage of it, dammit!

Danny looked at him placatingly and Stiles automatically felt some of his anger subside. “Stiles look, it’s only 3. We have maybe four or so hours of shopping left” Lydia looked skeptical but Danny gave her a stern look “and then you and me, we’re gonna go out okay? I know the best place to take you okay, it’s an outdoor club ON the beach! And Jackson and Lydia aren’t invited all right? Just you and me, guys night out!”

“I swear to _God_ , Danny, if you don’t follow through...”

“I will, I swear. This is happening.”

“Pinky swear.” The pinky swear was sacred. He and Scotthad sworn by it since they were 3. They had never broken a single one to date.

“I pinky swear.” Danny was looking at him like Stiles was a 5-year-old5 year old child he was humoring, but this was real shit. It was _binding_. They linked pinkies for 5 seconds, and then Lydia grabbed Danny, and started pulling him towards Express.

Jackson grabbed Stiles around the arm, and dragged him along as well, muttering in his ear, “I swear to God, Stilinski, if anyone hits on my man tonight, I am holding _you_ responsible for it. We clear?”

Stiles looked heavenward. What the hell had he ever done to deserve this?

_________________________________

About an hour later, Stiles was relaxing in the mall Starbucks, a hazelnut coffee in one hand, playing pool on his iPhone (seriously, this game ruled!). He had been deemed reception and bachelor party ready, having bought a top and slacks for the former, and just a top for the latter. Lydia claimed that his white club-night skinny jeans would be perfect for the occasion. Jackson and Danny hadn’t been so lucky. As the guests of honor, Lydia was spending twice as much time on their outfits. Stiles would be outright _lying_ if he said he was jealous of the attention they were getting.

He had just sunk the the eight ball against the automated computer player when the screen on his phone changed to show an incoming call. It was Brian. He grinned as he answered the call.

“Hey man, how’s it going?”

“Hey babe, not bad! Still kinda bummed I’m stuck here, while you get to party it up in Hawaii this week! Babe, I’m so jealous!” Stiles wasn’t really sure how he felt about Brian calling him babe. It had started around their third date, and it just still felt too soon for cutesy names like that.

“Hah, trust me, Bri. It’s no walk in the park. I’ve been dragged along to flower shops, and gift registries, and have sat through maybe a thousand mostly terrible cover bands. Today, Lydia has literally had me trying on outfit after outfit, suit after suit, shirt after fucking shirt for over six hours now. Sometimes I truly feel like this is entertainment for her, dressing us all up like Ken dolls, and that she does it past the point that is even necessary. Seriously man, I kinda feel gross from all the clothes I’ve tried on today.”

“Aww babe, I’m sorry you’re not having a better time. Wish I was there to make it better.” Stiles cringed slightly at that. He really wasn’t sure they were at the point in their relationship where they would be taking trips together. But maybe he was overreacting. There’s no way Brian was actually talking about going on vacation together this soon after they’d begun dating. He plastered a smile on his face before continuing, hoping that it would be evident in his voice.

“It’s fine. I guess its not that bad, right? It’s not the worst thing to look amazing at a club on a tropical island.”

“You’re buying club clothes? I thought you were just talking about like, a suit, for the wedding and the reception.”

“Oh no man! You think Lydia would let me go after one suit? She’s buying me all sorts of outfits for the week we’re here. When me and Danny decided to make plans to go out tonight, she added another outfit to the Stiles pile.”

“You and Danny are going out? Just you two?” There wasn’t a jealous edge to that question was there? Brian knew that they were here because Danny was _getting married_ right?

”Yup, man. Gonna see about having a little Sex on the Beach.”

“Haha, babe. I hope you just mean the drink.” Stiles bristled, his smile once and for all disappearing from his face.

“Brian, man, I know we’ve been having a good time together. But...” Crap, he wasn’t going to have to spell this out, was he?

“But? But what Stiles? Wait, fuck, are you breaking up with me?” Apparently he was.

“ _No_! Brian no! I really like you! I just don’t think I want to be exclusive just yet. We’re still getting to know each other, you know?” _Plus you can’t break up with someone you’re not dating exclusively. Right?_

“Fuck that Stiles. We’ve known each other for _years_. We were in the same fucking 1st grade class.And in over 8 classes since then! Not to mention 4 years on Lacrosse together!” _Fuck fuck fuck_. Stiles did not know how to deal with this shit. He was in the middle of a crowded as fuck mall cafeteria being yelled at by a man who he honestly thought he’d just been seeing casually. He had no clue what to do or say. Luckily, Brian wasn’t done talking. “You know what Stiles. Maybe we should just take some time off. I’ll just see you when you get back, yeah? In the meantime, figure out what you want. I am _in_ this. All in. You need to figure out if you feel the same. I’ll see you in a week.” The line cut off, and Stiles just looked at his phone. _Wtf just happened?_

________________________________________________

Four days later, everything was settled. The flowers had been ordered, the caterer booked, and the decorations finalized. Stiles was ignoring his Greenberg problem, making excuses any time Jackson or Lydia brought it up. It was bachelor party night! Lydia was relaxing with a mojito and Danny was in the process of making a second batch. Jackson was severely impeding that process. Stiles looked around. He didn't really know how bachelor parties worked when two guys were getting married. Did they do them together? That seemed to defeat the purpose of a bachelor party. Also it's possible he was drunk. Very drunk. Six shots of tequila and two mojitos drunk. They had started out separately? Allison, Lydia, and Isaac had gone out with Danny while he, Scott, and Erica had ended up staying at the mansion poolside with Jackson taking shots and playing poker. At least Stiles thinks they did; they can’t have been out very long since it wasn’t even midnight yet and everyone was back at the house. Although, somehow, Erica being there had meant _Derek fucking Hale_ was there too. Stiles didn’t even know he had been invited to the wedding, much less the bachelor party! But apparently Lydia mentioned something about Erica wanting someone to hang out with while Lydia was busy with wedding party things, and so why not let Derek come by?

Derek with his chiseled jaw line, and designer stubble. Derek with cheekbones that could cut glass and piercing eyes that consisted of approximately 800 different colors. Derek with his glass of ( _classy as fuck_ ) bourbon on ice. Derek with his (probably tailored) black button up with the sleeves rolled up and the top three buttons undone. How the fuck was he supposed to concentrate on anything else when he could see the barest outline of Derek’s abs through his shirt and the strong tanned forearms the guy had on display. It was a wonder Stiles wasn’t drooling right now. He was drunk and Derek looked downright _edible_.

Stiles’s phone buzzed in his hand. He looked down.

 **Text from Lydia.** He sighed and opened the message.

_Down boy. That much eye fucking can’t be good for anyone._

Stiles blushed. Oh right. Derek doesn’t look edible. _Stiles cannot think that Derek looks edible_. Derek doesn’t want Stiles to find him edible. He looked up to where Lydia had been last. She and Erica were looking right at him, matching wicked smiles on both their faces. As if on cue, they both stood up, and Lydia headed his way as he saw Erica saunter over to Derek out of the corner of his eye. He closed his eyes. _Oh, fuck. This was NOT going to end well._

“Sweetie, are you ever going to man up?” He opened them. Lydia smiled serenely at him and handed him a full mojito glass.

“There’s nothing to man up to. What do you want me to do? Go up to him and say, ‘ _oh excuse me, Derek James Hale, you perfect specimen of man, could you please please forget that you hate me greatly for one night and instead take me upstairs and completely ravish me until I can’t remember my own name?!_ ’ I don’t fucking think so Lydia!” He took a huge gulp of the mojito, faintly registering that it was much, much stronger than any of the others he'd had, and looked at Lydia defiantly. She looked back at him like she was trying not to laugh, her eyes sparkling with approval. She also, weirdly, wasn’t looking at _hi_ m, but instead at something behind him. _Fuck_. How had he already forgotten about Erica?

He turned around, and yep, there was Erica, with her hand around Derek’s wrist. Derek, who was staring at Stiles with a shocked expression on his face, hair a bit mussed, liked he’d recently run his hands through them, and perfect little splashes of pink on those beautiful cheeks. _Derek was blushing._ What did that mean?

“--mean it.” Fuck, Derek was speaking to him.

“Uhm. What?” He said, somewhat lamely, and immediately fought the urge to facepalm.

Derek cleared his throat. “What you just said. Did you mean it? Is that really what you want?”

Stiles looked around wildly, hoping to spot a distraction, a way out, _anything._ Lydia and Erica had fucking _disappeared_ and somehow, so had _everyone else_. Fuck, he had to face this. He looked back up at Derek, and steeled himself for heartbreak.

“Yeah. Yes. I did. I have a huge, obvious crush on you and it kind of amazes me that you haven’t noticed. But hey, man, don’t worry about it. I know you don’t feel the same, I wasn’t going to mmmph-” _Oh holy God._ There were lips on his. Perfect soft lips against his, hard pecs under his hands, sharp stubble against his chin and a strong, almost bruising, but completely perfect grip on his hip bones. _Derek was kissing him._

Stiles slid his hands up Derek's chest to tangle in his hair, feeling a thrill shoot through him when he caught a soft moan from the other man. Derek was biting at his lower lip, and then licking over the nips, soothing them, before Stiles opened his mouth fully to let Derek lick his way inside. Their tongues tangled together, and it felt fucking _amazing_ like little sparks of pleasure shooting outwards everywhere they touched. Derek’s hands moved down his hips, and back under his butt, and Stiles took hint and jumped up to wrap his legs around Derek’s waist. Their mouths never once left each other as Derek walked them towards one of the lawn chairs.They had almost reached when Stiles pulled back slightly, panting hard and trying to look at Derek’s face. He wasn’t really succeeding as Derek just moved his mouth to Stiles’s jaw, neck, and Adam’s apple. _Fuck_.

“Wait, Derek. Hold on a sec.” Derek looked up then, pupils blown wide as he looked Stiles straight in the eye. “Derek, is this okay? Is this something you wanna be doing?”

Derek brought his mouth close to Stiles’s then, their lips brushing as he spoke. “Do I look like I’m doing anything I don’t want to be doing?” he mumbled, before putting his lips on Stiles’s again, effectively shutting him up.

They _finally_ got to a chair that was reclined, and Derek dropped Stiles onto the chair without any warning at all. Before Stiles could even open his mouth to complain about the careless treatment (not that hereally minded), Derek was on top of him, left hand back on Stiles’s hip and right hand tangling with Stiles’s left, locking their firngers together and licking and kissing any trace of a complaint away. Stiles brought his other hand back up to Derek’s (surprisingly soft) hair and tugged lightly, eliciting a pleased whimper as Derek rocked his hips down to meet Stiles’s. And _fuck_ did that feel amazing. Derek’s hand moved from his hip to the hem of his shirt, and then lifted his head slightly, lips just barely brushing Stiles’s and looking up at him, asking for permission. Stiles just nodded and brought Derek’s lips back down on his own as Derek slowly pulled his shirt up.

“Okay, boys, I’m going to have to stop it right there. This may be private property, but one step further, and you two will be bordering on public indecency.” Stiles immediately felt the (so fucking perfect) weight over him disappear and opened his eyes to see his _father and little sister_ looking at them with identical amused expressions. The Sheriff looked like he’d been trying to cover Cora’s eyes, but she had just skipped out of the way.

“Derek?!” Cora squealed and ran towards Derek, throwing her arms around his stomach. “Hi! What are you doing here? How come you didn’t tell me you know Stiles? Are you going to the wedding? Are you going with Stiles? Oooh will you save a dance for me?” Derek looked terrified, shooting glances from Stiles to the Sheriff, not knowing who looked more confused at the current situation. Stiles was definitely having a hard time understanding what was going on.

“Derek?” Stiles stood up, wobbling a little as he felt that last mojito hit him. “How do you know my little sister? And why is she so happy to see you? This is weird man. _Fuck_ , I’m too drunk for this. Is this a dream?”

The Sheriff looked appalled. “Stiles! Language! Cora is _right there_!" He turned to Derek, "You must be Mr. Hale? My daughter has told me so much about you. Although, judging from the position I just found you two in, I feel as though I _should_ have been hearing things _from my son_.”

Stiles looked over from the Sheriff’s stern expression, to Derek's deer-in-the-headlights one, to Cora’s delighted smile and closed his eyes, giving up, and collapsing back onto the lawn chair. “Definitely not a dream.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo wow. That was a long hiatus wasn't it? Please don't kill me! I'm terribly sorry. Not too long after posting the last chapter I completely fucked over my laptop keyboard by spilling Jack and coke on it. It made typing really really difficult. Like one paragraph would take me 30 mins becuase of how impossible the keys were. It made me not want to write at all for a super long time. :/
> 
> ALSO in the last couple months I graduated, moved, frantically looked for, and scored a job. Sooo. Busy life. 
> 
> But but but, I am BACK, and my story has still got a lot of plot left, and all you wonderful, lovely, beautiful people who have kudos-ed, commented, and subscribed, you continue to make my day. As ALWAYS, heaps of thanks to crazykookie for being the best, most prompt and understanding beta ever!
> 
> As the pattern continues, next chapter is going to be Derek, and then after? I'm thinking possibly a little bit of Danny POV??? It IS his wedding and reception after all. 
> 
> In the interest of plot over fluff, I am thinking of skipping the actual wedding and going straight to the reception in the next chapter. So I want your opinion. Do you lovely people WANT fluffy wedding scenes? Or would you rather get straight to continuing actual plot events, which will take place at the reception? Keep in mind that should you choose the wedding scene, the reception WILL still happen, it will just be posted later. So the wedding will be a sort of interlude to actual plot events. 
> 
> LEt me know!!! And feel free to sound off about anything else! Do you guys want more Greenberg? Do you super hate me for this delay? HOW CUTE IS CORA STILINSKI? 
> 
>  
> 
> *hugs and kisses* looking forward to hearing your thoughts!


	11. In Which Derek is Confused. (But what else is new?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What happened? When Lydia and I left you two, it looked like you guys were gonna..uh, get acquainted, so to speak." 
> 
> Derek just glared harder. "You were watching us?!"
> 
> Erica grinned uncomfortably. "Well yeah, you two are pretty hot you know."
> 
> "Well why the fuck couldn’t you warn us that the Sheriff was here."
> 
> "What."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not as long a wait as last time, but I'm still a terrible person. 
> 
>  
> 
> There are 377 people out there who keep me going. Thanks guys, subscriptions mean the WORLD to me.

Sometimes, Derek just can’t help but be impressed by Erica’s powers of manipulation and persuasion. She says she was born this way, but Derek is willing to bet that 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls and a certain Lorelai Gilmore are actually largely responsible. Whatever. The point is, _because of Erica_ he’s on a fucking plane on his way to Hawaii of all places so that he can attend a wedding he really couldn’t care less about. Mr. Whittemore and Peter had gone to law school together, and in Derek’s opinion, the only person more insufferable than Peter was Mr. Whittemore. And the only person more insufferable than Mr. Whittemore was Jackson Whittemore. Derek really couldn’t understand how Lydia (or Stiles for that matter) could not only put up with but actually _like_ the guy. They'd been forced to spend some time together when they were younger at family events but the minute Derek hadn’t had to go to those anymore he'd stopped. Because Jackson was just insufferable. Danny he didn't really know that well, but the kid had always been polite to Derek, and Isaac just _raved_ about him. He supposed anyone Isaac happily spent time with couldn't be too bad.

Speaking of people who made Isaac happy, Erica and he _still_ hadn't managed to figure out who Isaac was seeing. Isaac had said it was a girl but Derek hadn't caught so much as a whiff of perfume or seen a hint of a lipstick stain. Instead, he kept hearing story after story about Stiles. And Scott. And Allison. Derek didn't want to admit it, but either Isaac was in some sort of three way relationship with (the engaged and therefore unlikely) Scott and Allison, or he was dating Stiles. Again. Which made sense when you took into consideration the fact that Stiles had been receiving an increasing amount of texts and phone calls during work these last few weeks. Which fuck everything in Derek's life but if Stiles and Isaac were dating again, then Derek would just have to suck it the fuck up because he'd never seen Isaac happier. And Isaac deserved to be happy. No one deserved more happiness than Isaac.

___________________________________

God fuck Stiles was hot. Tight white jeans, a red as sin button up shirt with the top buttons un-done and coiffed hair was _such a good look_ for him. Furthermore, the already sinful jeans had a little rip in them just under the right back pocket, giving Derek a glimpse of candy red boxer briefs. Goddamn in that moment he just _wanted_. He was on his fourth Wild Turkey on the rocks. Or was it his fifth? It seemed that Erica had taken to just replacing his glass every time his was close to being empty and he had completely lost count. It didn't really matter though. He wasn't drunk. Just a little...light, and less tense than he'd felt in months.

"So DJ, how's it going? You having fun?" He heard Erica's voice from seemingly far away on his right as he glanced across the pool to where Lydia was grabbing a mojito from Danny and making her way over to Stiles.

"Not at all."

Erica smirked mischievously. "Well, we're just going to have to fix that aren't we?"

He opened his mouth to protest, but it probably wouldn't make a difference. Sohe just let Erica pull him over to where Stiles and Lydia were talking. Huh. Maybe he was drunker than he'd thought. He caught his name come out of Stiles's mouth and sped up, catching the tail end of his ramble to Lydia.

"...perfect specimen of man, could you please please forget that you hate me greatly for one night and instead take me upstairs and completely ravish me until I can’t remember my own name?!’ I don’t fucking think so Lydia!” _What._ There was no way Stiles was talking about him was there? He was taken. Right? He watched Stiles take a huge gulp of the mojito in his hand, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, and Derek just wanted to bite it. Dammit he could _feel_ his cheeks pinking in a blush, but he couldn't look away from Stiles and his perfect, flushed face. He took his hand out of Erica's and ran it through his hair absently, trying desperately to form words, or walk away or _something_ instead of just standing there like a gaping idiot. Stiles was watching him now _goddamn he needed to get out of there_.

**** "Did you mean it?" Fuck, had he said that? What happened to walking away? And now Stiles was staring at him in horror. Fuck why had he said anything? Of course Stiles hadn't been talking about him! Why would Stiles want someone as grumpy as Derek  when he'd had a history of dating criminally adorable people like Isaac? Fuck he needed to get of there before he made an even bigger fool of himself.

**** "Uhm what?" Stiles made an abrupt flailing motion with his hand, like he was going to touch his face or his hair or something before shoving both his hands in the pockets of his jeans c _ausing them to slide down and reveal a toned abdomen and the strap of red boxer briefs_. He wanted to moan in appreciation but luckily it came out as an aborted cough. Fuck. Derek needed to walk away. Now. Just turn around and get the fuck out of Hawaii altogether.

  “What you just said. Did you mean it? Is that really what you want?” _Oh my god why was he still talking?_ Stiles was flailing wildly now, probably just looking for an out from this _painful as fuck_ conversation. Derek didn't dare look at anyone else right now; he didn't think he could handle Erica or Lydia's face right now. He also for some godforsaken reason, _couldn't walk the fuck away_. All he could do was gape like an idiot at Stiles, and just hope that somehow this would end. Soon. Stiles licked his lips and stared at Derek then, eyes hardening into some sort of resolve. This was it. Derek prepared himself for rejection.

“Yeah. Yes. I did. I have a huge, obvious crush on you and it kind of amazes me that you haven’t noticed. But hey, man, don’t worry about it. I know you don’t feel the same, I wasn’t going to mmmph-” Derek surged forward and crushed his lips against Stiles's. He felt hands on his chest and he grabbed Stiles's hips, pulling him closer and bringing every point of their bodies into contact with one another. He nipped and licked at Stiles's bottom lip, moaning when he felt Stiles's hands running through his hair, bringing their mouths even closer together. He moved his hands lower, dying to to get his hands on the rip in Stiles's jeans, just to see if those fucking sinful boxers were as soft as they looked. He lifted Stiles's slightly, wanting nothing more than to find a horizontal surface as fast as fucking possible. Luckily, Stiles seemed to go with the plan, jumping up and wrapping his legs around his waist and _oh holy fuck_ Derek almost came right then. He started walking towards the lawn chairs then. He wasn't really into voyeurism but fuck if he was going to waste time looking for an actual bed. Stiles pulled back then, and fuck his neck was _right there_ so Derek just moved his mouth to the perfect pale skin in front of him, giving into his desire to mouth at Stiles's Adam's apple.

"Wait Derek. Hold on a sec." Fuck fuck fuck. This was it. Stiles had realized what a colossal mistake this was. He looked up at Stiles then, not wanting to let go even a second sooner than he was forced to. God, Stiles looked perfect all wide eyes, and flushed cheeks and red, swollen lips.

"Derek, is this okay? Is this something you wanna be doing?" God how could Stiles not realize just how much Derek wanted this? He'd been dreaming about this moment for _months_. He brought his lips close to Stiles's then, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Do I look like I'm doing anything I don't want to be doing?" he murmured before crashing his lips against Stiles's grin.

___________________________________________

**** Well fuck. Derek stalked to his room in a haze of mortification and irritation. He didn't think he'd ever gone so turned on to so completely stone cold sober so fast before in his life. Had that actually happened? Had he just been stopped from creaming his pants by Stiles's _Sheriff father and eight year old little sister_? He was never going to be able to show his face anywhere ever again. He was going to _kill_ Erica. As far as he was concerned, this was all her fault. She was the reason he was in this goddamn state in the first place. (Pun intended.)

He opened his door as fast as he could and slammed it shut, leaning against it and sinking down, his face in his hands.

**** "Fuck fuck FUCK."

**** "D? Hey are you okay? What the hell happened, you're back way too soon." _Of fucking course._ He put on the iciest face he could muster and glared at Erica.

**** "This is all your fucking fault!" he seethed, speaking through clenched teeth, narrowing his eyes at Erica, and clenching his fists in his lap.

**** "Woah, DJ calm down. What the fuck happened."

**** "Don't call me that. Thanks to you, I just had the most fucking embarrassing moment of my life."

**** " _What happened?_ When Lydia and I left you two, it looked like you guys were gonna..uh, get acquainted, so to speak."  

**** Derek just glared harder. "You were _watching_ us?!"

**** Erica grinned uncomfortably. "Well yeah, you two are pretty hot you know."

**** "Well why the fuck couldn’t you warn us that the Sheriff was here."

**** "What."

**** "Don't give me that confused puppy look. Sheriff Stilinski and his eight year old daughter walked in on me and Stiles _horizontal_ in the backyard. We're lucky we still had all our clothes on."

**** "Oh my GOD."

**** "Don't you dare. I swear to fucking God Erica if you laugh-" Erica was biting her lip, and scrambling for her phone.

**** "Oh my god, Der, I HAVE to tell Lydia!"

**** "Erica we're done. We are no longer friends; go find somewhere else to live." Erica finally burst out laughing at that, falling on the floor, clutching her stomach, still trying to dial.  Derek stalked out, ignoring Erica's cries of "we didn't know" in between bursts of laughter.

_______________________________________________

**** Derek woke up the next morning to a killer headache and Danny Mahealani staring at him holding a cup of coffee.

**"** If that's not for me I'm throwing it in your face." Derek mumbled, getting up slowly and Danny's face broke into a shit eating grin as he handed the cup over.

**** "Morning to you too Sleeping Grumpy."

**** Derek took a sip of coffee and squinted up at the obnoxiously cheery face in front of him. "Is this.."

**** "Vanilla coffee? Yup." Danny gave him an annoyingly knowing look then, slowly getting to his feet and leaving the room. "Get your ass up. My wedding is in 2 short hours!"

**** Derek just sat there sipping the coffee in front of him thinking about the fucking hole he'd dug. There was no climbing out of this one. He stood up slowly once the coffee was over and made his way over to his and Erica's room. He entered it quietly, hoping Erica would still be asleep, or gone so he could shower in peace. He should've known better. His luck didn't work like that.

**** "Sooooo do you wanna talk about it?"

**** "If I said no would that make a difference?"

**** "Nope."

**** "What's there to talk about?"

**** "You made out with Stiles. _Stiles_."

**** "I know. I was there."

**** "Well what are you going to do about it?"

**** "I don't know yet."

**** "Derek. You're about to go to a wedding. Pretty much the most romantic setting ever. There's going to be drinking and dancing and flowers and toasts and romance. It's the perfect time to make something happen."

**** "Maybe I want to start something." he mumbled. "I don't really know." Erica squealed. His head pounded. "Goddamit Erica."

**** "Oh right," she winced, "You're hunggover, huh? Sorry about that." She grinned sheepishly. "I just-I don't know. Wanted you to lower your inhibitions a little. I think you and Stiles could be really good for each other. You're perfect."

**** "How do you even know that?"

**** "He never shuts up; you're monosyllabic. He's cheerier than a care bear; you're grumpier than Eeyore."

**** "Very funny."

**** "You know I love you DJ. And I think he could too. You just have to let him."

**** "I honestly don't know what he sees in me."

**** "I think you should go find out, Der. There's a reason Izzie and I have stuck around so long." With that she grabbed a garment bag, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and sauntered out the door.

**** What the hell. Derek needed new friends. Preferably ones who didn't walk out the door after dropping some sort of veiled enigmatic comment.

**** He really needed to get his shit together though, and figure out where to go from here. Danny's stupid smile could only mean that Stiles had made him coffee, but why hadn't he been the one to deliver it?  Unless maybe Stiles had regretted it? And the coffee was his way of letting Derek down easy? Who even knew at this point. Fuck.

___________________________________________

An hour later he was showered and nearly dressed when he heard rapid knocking on his door.

**** He opened and didn’t see anything but felt a weight hurled at his  middle. He looked down to see a head of dark brown curly hair and small arms around his waist.

****"**** Hi Derek! Are you going to be my new big brother?” _What._

**** “What.” Please please _please_ let her not have seen him kissing Stiles.

**** “You were kissing Stiles! Stiles is my big brother you know!” Well, dammit.

**** Derek cringed. Was he really going to have this conversation with Cora?  “Yeah about that…”

**** “Scott and Allison kiss all the time and Scotty says it’s because Allison and he are getting married and Allison is going to be my big sister when they do. You and _Stiles_  were kissing, I saw you!” Cora looked so excited, cheeks flush and hair flying in every direction as she bounced around while talking to him. “Come on! You can sit with me at the wedding since Stiles is busy right now!”

**** Oh man, where were her _parents._ Or _Stiles_. Or Scott or Erica or Lydia or Derek’s 7th grade health teacher Mrs DeRose; j _ust anyone better equipped for this fucking conversation_. Maybe he could change the subject.

**** “So Hawaii huh? It’s pretty here isn’t it! Have you gotten a chance to swim with the dolphins yet?” Cora stood back and narrowed her eyes up at him. She obviously could see right through his attempt. Luckily, the topic seemed to interest her. She grabbed his hand and started walking him towards the stairs, babbling about dolphins and how the swimming with dolphins gimmick at most beach-y places was inhumane and terrible for the animals. Derek breathed a sigh of relief and countered. There were totally places you could go that did it right.

**** _____________________________________

The ceremony was beautiful. It was fairly large, but thanks to Cora, Derek had a prime seat in the second row. Alison stood at the front, as the officiator of the ceremony, and as an adorably unique touch, the grooms were given away by their best friends. First, Danny came down the aisle with Lydia, then Jackson walked, escorted by Stiles.

**** And this was where Derek stopped paying attention.

**** Stiles, if possible looked even better than he had last night. There was no trace of a hangover on any of his features. His eyes were bright and excited, his mouth was curled up in doting grin, and his normally flailing hands were clutching a velvet ring box as though his life depended on it. Derek had no idea how long the ceremony lasted, no idea what was happening, but the minute Stiles looked his way and winked, he knew he had to figure his shit out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU for sticking w me! MAybe leave some feedback? I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. Where do you wanna see this go?
> 
> As per request, next chapter is wedding fluff. It's Danny's chapter, so it seems appropriate, no? 
> 
>  
> 
> Normally I have a lot of end notes. I can't really think of much else to say. Email me things. I'd love to hear from you! whatthehale27@gmail.com
> 
>  
> 
> Lastly, I have had the ABSOLUTE pleasure of beta-ing some fic recently. Y'all should head on over to [Sushiowl's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SushiOwl/pseuds/SushiOwl) page and take a look!


	12. In Which We Will All Get Cavities Because OMG FLUFF.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'DAX' WEDDING FYEAH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This extremely special chapter is for [rightmovement](http://archiveofourown.org/users/rightmovement/pseuds/rightmovement) for requesting wedding fluff and for [bateli1997](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bateli1997/pseuds/bateli1997) TIMES TWO for requesting wedding fluff AND for writing lovely comments on chapter 11. Another lovely commenter I would like to thank is [IloveSterek1995](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IloveSterek1995/pseuds/IloveSterek1995). 
> 
> Also, <3, thanks to everyone who has commented/kudosed/subscribed. Each and everyone one of you motivates me EVERYDAY.

**Jackson texting Danny. _Danny texting Jackson._**

Danny woke up the morning of his wedding day to an Armani loafer hitting his shoulder, and the smell of bacon and eggs in the air.

“What the hell, Stiles.” he grunted, not bothering to look up. Of the people who would cook him breakfast, only Stiles and Jackson came to mind, and Jackson wouldn’t be at the estate until the wedding later that day. “Don’t think that because you made me breakfast I’m gonna forgive you.”

“Forgive me for what?” Stiles asked, his voice dripping exaggerated innocence. Danny felt the bed dip slightly as Stiles joined him. He flipped onto his back, propped his head up on a couple pillows, and placed a third one on his lap. Stiles put a damn near perfect breakfast plate on his makeshift pillow-table and handed him a large mug.

“You made me breakfast,” he took a sip, “and a latte, Stiles. This even has extra foam like I like. You did _something_.”

“I did something stupid.” Hands emptied of Danny’s breakfast, Stiles had flopped over onto his stomach and had his face smushed into the mattress. Danny didn’t even need to look at him to know he was viciously biting his lips and wringing his hands.

“So what else is new?” Only _Stiles_ would come to him with a crisis on the morning of his wedding. The most important day of his life. _Of course_ he would start it by solving whatever inane mess Stiles had gotten into this time. At least he had some bacon and eggs to help him through it. Stiles had made them perfectly.

“I was really drunk last night.” Stiles muttered finally. Danny snorted. If he’d had a nickel for everytime Stiles did something crazy stupid when he was drunk, he could probably buy his grandparents’ estate.

“I maintain my previous statement.” Stiles lifted his head then, giving Danny a dirty look.

“Just for that, I’m taking my bacon back!” Stiles lunged for the plate, but Danny was quicker. He stood, taking the plate with him and watched as Stiles flopped, somewhat pathetically, onto the bed.

Danny grinned, “Stiles. Do you need my help or can I go start getting read for my _wedding_?” He glanced at his watch. “Which is in three hours, may I add. I need at least two to get ready.”

Stiles grinned, “And that means you have a full hour to devote to my relationship woes.”

Danny rolled his eyes, sitting down at the desk in his room and reaching for his cell phone. He smiled softly to himself when he saw he had a text from Jackson.

**Morning babe. Have anything special happening today? ;)**

_**Nothing I can think of. You?** _

He looked up then, to Stiles looking at him expectantly. He sighed, “What relationship woes? I thought you were ignoring the whole Greenberg thing.”

_**Remind me why YOUR best man is here with me while you’re so far away?** _

Stiles groaned. “No. Not-fuck I didn’t even think about that. It’s not about Bryan. That’s a whole ‘nother story.”

**I have this thing later. It’s kind of a big deal; maybe I’ll see you there?**

**What’s dufus’s deal?**

_**A thing, huh? I could probably be persuaded to join you. With the right motivation. :P** _

“So not Bryan, then who. Who did you managed to have a relationship problem with at my bachelor party? You’re related to half the people who were there.” Danny flashed back to last night. He couldn’t remember much besides a quick dance with Lydia, and then a lapful of Jackson. He had no idea what had been happening with Stiles. “Oh my god, Derek. _You and Derek?_!”

_**STILES SLEPT WITH DEREK. I guess that threesome offer is out? I don’t want Stilinski seconds.** _

Stiles blushed. That could only mean one thing. “Oh my god, I’m totally right! Way to go man. Didn’t think you had it in you. Hale is a _hottie_.”

**Oh, I’ll motivate you. I’ll definitely make it worth your while.**

**He did NOT. After Derek was an absolute ASS? Tell me Stiles has more self-esteem than that.**

**Oh my God, Lydia told me him and Bryan weren’t going to work out because he was still hung up on Derek. FUCKK. She’s gonna be insufferable.**

“We didn’t have sex, Danny.”

_**They didn’t have sex. I’ll tell Lydia to lay low. For today. Tomorrow you’re on your own.** _

“So then what happened?”

“We almost had sex.” He looked up, Stiles was laying sprawled on his bed, hands flailing and muttering crazily.

“Oh my GOD, Stiles. What aren't you telling me.”

Stiles, if possible blushed even more. Oh, this was going to be good. “Well..”

“Spit it out Stilinski.”

“So I might have been horizontal with Derek on one of your lawn chairs last night? And I might have been about 10 seconds from creaming my pants, when _my DAD_ stopped us? And _Cora_ was there. And I’ve never seen a guy run away from me so fast? And Derek _knows my little sister_ , like what the ever loving fuck and my dad won’t let me hear the end of it? And I woke up this morning to get a cup of coffee and walked past him laying on the couch and he looked _perfect_ and I just want to jump him all the time. But more than that, he looked uncomfortable, and I just wanted to find him a blanket and cuddle. Then I went to the kitchen and sat at the counter with a cup of vanilla coffee, trying to get up the nerve to talk to him but I _couldn’t_ so I made you breakfast instead and now I’m here. AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, why would you let my dad stay _here_ , knowing he would get here on the night of your fucking bachelor party? Basically, this is all your fucking fault.”

Danny just gaped. Stiles was flushed from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck to his chest. He looked mortified, but more than that, he looked _sad_. Crap, Danny couldn’t even tease him, he looked so miserable. Danny placed his now empty plate on the desk, and made his way over to Stiles.

“You want to cuddle with him?” Danny sat down on the bed, and ran his hand soothingly through Stiles’s hair. God, he could see why Lydia babied him so much sometimes, Stiles just always seemed to need a little extra TLC. He gave his love so freely, cared so much about everyone, but never really got taken care of in return.

Stiles squinted up at Danny. When he realized Danny wasn’t making fun of him, he dropped his head onto a pillow and sighed, “Yeah, Danny. I really, really do. I want to fucking sit on a couch with a million blankets, Dr. Pepper and Doritos and watch Harry Potter. Or Lord of the Rings. Or Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns. Maybe with a little groping between episodes. And it’s just him. I don’t think I’ve felt this way about anyone else. Ever. Not even you.”

Danny felt a little angry at that. If Derek didn’t feel the same way about Stiles, he didn’t know what he would do. Stiles deserved to have whatever he wanted. Especially since at one point, despite wanting Danny, he’d made sure Danny and Jackson knew how the other felt.

“Oh Stiles. Love sucks sometimes doesn’t it?”

“Easy for you to say. You got the man of your dreams. While I can’t believe Jackson is that man, you two always look so happy together.”

Danny grinned. “Yeah, but remember me in high school? Jackson was with Lydia, and I was _miserable_. I had my fair share of heartache before I got my happy ending.”

Stiles waggled his eyebrows, “And in more ways than one!”

Danny shoved him half-heartedly, groaning at the insinuation but pleased the depressed look was gone from Stiles’s face.

“You know there’s nothing to do but talk to him right?”

Stiles pouted and hid in the pillows again. It was incredible how that manipulation of his lower lip managed to make him look about 5 years old. Not to mention the way he was burrowing under Danny’s blankets.

“Can’t YOU talk to him for me?”

Danny laughed. “Nice try Stiles. I’m going to put my dish away in the sink. The most I’ll do is give him the coffee you chickened out of giving him. Considering we’ve talked maybe 4 times in our entire life, he’ll know it's not from me. That’s all the help you get.”

Stiles peeked out of the blanket, still pouting. “Fine, I'll talk to him. But after the wedding. At the reception. IF I’m not busy making it perfect for you. And if Lydia lets me have a moment. Maybe I’ll just wait and do this back home.”

Danny rolled his eyes, grabbing the plate and his phone as he walked to the door. He turned just before exiting to look at Stiles (who was still hiding in his bed, placing the pillows around his body in some sort of makeshift fort).

“Stiles.” He looked up from his fort, apprehension and concentration lining his features. “If he doesn’t feel the same way about you, _he’s not worth it_. You deserve everything, the jumping, the cuddles, the Buffy marathons. All of it. He hurts you, and you can be sure Jackson and I will have something to say, or do, about it.”

Stiles smiled at him waveringly, and finally got out of the bed, pillows flying everywhere. He wrapped his arms quickly around Danny’s waist before heading out of the room, muttering a quick _thanks_ as he left.

Danny pulled his phone out as he walked to the kitchen, so caught up in Stiles’s problem that he almost missed that he had a text from Jackson.

**Hey, after today, I’m never gonna be on my own again. Love you. See you later, I’ll be the one in the suit. xx**

Danny grinned, feeling all warm and fuzzy for a bit. He tapped out two replies as he headed to the kitchen.

_**Stiles will be fine. Although, we may have some ass-kicking in our future. Only time will tell.** _

_**You better believe it. You and me babe, forever. Love you more. XXX** _

_________________________

The entire Mahealani family hadn't been in the same place since two summers ago when Danny's cousin's daughter had had her first birthday. Therefore, understandably, there wasn't much downtime for Danny to over-think his decision to change his life by joining it with someone else's in the thirty minutes leading up to the ceremony that he had after he’d finished getting dressed. He spent some time with his cousins, aunts and uncles, catching up quickly and paying a quick game of peek-a-boo with his little cousins. He talked to his grandmother on his dad's side (and disengaged himself from the kids surrounding her who had decided clamping themselves to his legs would be fun) so he could catch a quick breather before the ceremony began.

Danny's lack of cold feet was a surprise, a happy one, because Danny had always suspected he might be the type to end up having a silent anxiety attack in the moments leading up to walking down the aisle. Maybe Jackson was fulfilling that trope. The image of that happening right now, his boyfriend freaking out, staring horrified at his Armani suit jacket while Lydia tried to affix his cuff links, pasted a smile on Danny's face. The sickeningly sweet warmth his chest was filling with while he wondered if Jackson had managed to scare away his hairstylist dispersed any hint of doubt Danny had that conforming to a custom like this may be a step towards resentment and ultimate doom. He couldn't imagine not loving every irritating part of Jackson for the rest of his life.

"You are so fucked." Erica sighed, as she stepped up to Danny's side. Since Lydia didn’t trust Stiles to get dressed properly (or trust Stiles to get _Jackson_ dressed properly), she was over with Jackson and Stiles until the ceremony started. She had sent Erica in her place however, to be groomsmaid in her stead. Danny was a lot calmer than Jackson. Jax was probably stressing out about his outfit right now, and Erica would only rile him up. With Danny, Erica just basically sat in the corner and applied and reapplied her makeup, while looking up occasionally to see that Danny still looked impeccable. "Head over heels is written all across your face. I'm sure you're swooning over the thought of Jackson's snoring habit or something right now. It disgusts me. I am subsequently extremely happy for you both, but I don't know how to reconcile this with my cool, composed exterior. Basically, you can picture me jumping for joy, but looking extremely disgruntled about it." She leaned over and hugged Danny around the waist, tight. "I would hold this against you, but I love you too much. I know we’ve only known each other a couple months but I'm so happy for you. Love you like a brother, brother. Anyone you love, I love. So Jackson is officially welcomed into our friendship family." Danny grinned and kissed her on the cheek. She really could be lovely when it mattered.

“Thanks Erica. I’m glad you and Lydia found each other. I’ve actually never seen her happier.”

Erica smiled sweetly then, looking happier than he’d ever seen her before narrowing her eyes at him. “That’s my cue to leave. I am _not_ bawling all over my perfect make-up, Mahealani, and nothing you say will make me!” She grabbed her heels, and stalked out barefoot, nearly crashing into his mother on her way out.

"Daniel! You come talk to your mother before you walk down the aisle or you'll pay!" Erica disappeared with a glowing smile and Danny went to meet his mother. There were bound to be tears, he should prepare himself.

______________________________

Danny's mother hadn't cried, but his dad had when he'd joined them in the hallway, so Danny was without the cranberry handkerchief that matched his socks as he approached the entrance to the aisle. It's not like anyone would notice, because it wouldn't have been visible anyways; he had just gone along with buying it to please Jackson. He could already picture the smug look Jackson would have when Danny told him that the handkerchief had actually been needed. And then he could picture the look on JAckson’s face as Danny tried to kiss and lick that look away.

“You look like you’re having some dirty thoughts there, Dannyboy.” Danny spun around towards Lydia’s voice and saw his best friend looking _gorgeous_ in a tight, purple [bridesmaid’s dress](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4apltlODK6oNjLMijErq5aX0ODsHlKn6D8j-SX96_XLI_VIS0) and her favorite nude [Louboutins](http://us.christianlouboutin.com/ca_en/shop/women/pigalle-patent-8.html).

He smirked, “So what if I am. I’m the only one who didn’t get any after _my_ bachelor party!”

Lydia rolled her eyes at him, “Yeah, yeah Stiles and Derek. Whatever. I’ll deal with them later. Now, turn around so I can look at you.” Danny obliged; he knew he wouldn’t get to walk down the aisle until he’d received the Lydia stamp of approval.

She smiled smugly, “You look perfect. And by some miracle, _Stiles_ looks perfect, _and_ Jackson looks perfect, and this _wedding is going to be perfect_.”

Danny walked over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, “All thanks to you Lyds. There’s no way Jackson or I would have managed _any_ of this.”

  
Lydia leaned into him for a second, not hugging properly so they wouldn’t ruin their clothes, but Danny appreciated the gesture. “Only for you Danny Mahealani. Not even for Jackson.” She paused for a second, “Thanks for making him so happy.”

He looked down at her, straight into those perfect bottle-green eyes, and was surprised to see the emotion and tears pooling there. He grabbed her hand and squeezed, “No tears today! You cry, and then I might cry, and then Jackson will _definitely_ cry and then Stiles will laugh, and Scott will be confused.” He grinned cockily when Lydia laughed, happy that he’d gotten the response he was hoping for. She pushed him away slightly the but kept their hands linked together.

“No tears. Definitely no tears. Stiles would never let me hear the end of it. So let me just say that I love _you_ and I love _Jackson_ and I am so glad to be sharing this day with you. Let’s go walk down that aisle.”

Danny smiled wide as he wound his elbow around Lydia’s and made their way outside. He and Jackson had had a long talk about who would walk down the aisle first, Danny finally winning when he gave in and let Jackson choose their honeymoon spot. He walked down the aisle slowly, letting Lydia determine the pace as he looked around at the floral decoration and all his family and friends in the audience before finally looking to the front, where Allison was smiling angelically, waiting for him and Jackson to make their way to the front. With Lydia and Stiles in the wedding party, it hadn’t really been much of a hardship choosing Allison as the officiator of the ceremony. Once she’d found out they wanted an officiator and not a priest, she had practically demanded it be her. He and Jackson hadn’t been able to say no, nor had they wanted to.

He got to the front (finally) giving Lydia one last squeeze on the arm as she looked over him for one last time. She then stood off to the side, as the entire wedding party turned to the back for the second groom's entrance.

Stiles was already standing at the top of the aisle, looking stunning in a skinny black suit with a white shirt and silver tie. One hand was in his pocket, where Danny figured he was clutching the box with the rings in them, and the other was kinda flailing, as usual.

When Jackson appeared next to him, Danny swore that he stopped breathing for a second. As Jackson walked down the aisle, Danny’s eyes were glued to his face, his lips that were curled up into a private, and especially his perfect eyes that looked bright and happy, and were staring straight into Danny’s own. In that moment, he couldn’t have even told you what Jackson was wearing, or what anyone else looked like; all he could do was stare into the face of the man who was about to become his partner. Forever.

The feeling filled him with such warmth and joy, and he wondered errantly if this is how Stiles always felt. The feeling of too much emotion coursing through your veins for you to be able to sit still or stay quiet. He wanted to scream from rooftops, and run to everyone and say ‘See that man over there? The one with the razor sharp cheekbones and perfect smile, and secret sappy personality? He’s all _mine_ and you can’t have him.’ How he managed to stay still and quiet until Jackson reached him, he had no idea but he did. He thinks.

Once Jackson had finished his (seemingly incredibly long) walk down the aisle, he turned to Stiles for a quick bro-hug and then joined Danny in front of Allison. Danny grabbed his hands almost immediately, and leaned over for a small peck on the lips. He heard the quiet chuckles from the audience, but couldn’t really be bothered to care when he stepped back and saw a faint blush on Jackson’s cheeks and a huge smile on his face. Jackson still looked like he couldn’t believe this was actually happening, and Danny got to be the one to spend his whole life telling Jackson just how much he wanted him.

Allison cleared her throat to stop the light laughter, and began.

“Welcome everyone, family and friends alike, as we gather today to celebrate the union of Jackson Whittemore and Danny Mahealani. It is my honor to be standing here today, officiating the ceremony and I want to thank you on behalf of Danny and Jackson for gathering today at this beautiful estate to support them on this very special day. Many of you have given them much happiness and guidance through their lives, and they are ever grateful for it, though Jackson,” she narrowed her eyes in his direction, “wanted to point out that some of you have not. However, the fact that nearly all of you have traveled a great distance to be here today is indicative of your love and support. ”

Jackson grinned beatifically at that, and Danny rolled his eyes. It had taken a lot of convincing for Allison to say that particular line, but Jackson had insisted, claiming that his father had never really accepted Danny as his son’s partner and was only present at the wedding because he was expected to be. It wasn’t a bitter point for Jackson, he had stopped caring about his father’s opinion ages ago, but he wanted his father to know that this relationship was real, and Danny was real, and that his lack of support was in no way okay.

“I sat down with Jackson and Danny a couple weeks ago to see what they thought about marriage. For the both of them, this ceremony is a public announcement of their undying commitment to one another, a oral reaffirmation of a bond between two people who are eagerly looking forward to sharing their lives together, come hell or high water. For both Danny and Jackson, today is not the start of a new relationship, but an acknowledgement and celebration of a flourishing one.

Danny and Jackson have been friends for a little over 20 years, and have been in a committed relationship for the last 4. They have faced every hardship life has thrown at them _together_ , even before being a couple. They have always been _partners_ , even if they haven’t always been _boyfriends_ ; this much is obvious to anyone who’s known them both individually, and as a couple.”

Danny was coming pretty damn close to breaking his no tears rule. He tore his gaze away from Jackson to look at Allison in complete awe. He would never have guessed that she would say such lovely and insightful things about his and Jackson’s relationship; everything she said, Danny knew to be true instantly, though he had never thought of it in as many words before.

He looked back at Jackson then, and saw his surprised pleasure at Allison’s words as well.

“Danny and Jackson have come here today, after considerable thought and reflection, after over 20 years of mutual respect and unyielding compassion to pledge their marriage to each other. By making this commitment, their relationship will become stronger, and deeper, and even more filled with love. Marriage is not going to change Danny or Jackson, and I think that they both know that.” Allison stopped here, and gave a mischievous smile to the couple, “Marriage isn’t going to make Jackson less abrasive or stop Danny from spending hours on the computer. Marriage is not going to stop the silly heated arguments you boys get into when you’ve been separated for too long and don’t quite know how to just say, ‘I missed you.’ However, knowing what your partner needs to be happy and being willing to provide it is something you both know how to do, and from what I’ve seen, you do it well.”

Danny was definitely crying now, unable to tear away his gaze away from Jackson and the pure contentment and love he saw there. Allison had better stop talking _soon_ before he was crying and sniffling too much to say his vows.

“Stiles, can you please pass the rings to Jackson and Danny?” Oh thank god. Danny glanced quickly behind Jackson, to see Stiles pass him one of the rings he and Jackson had picked out together, and feign giving Jackson the other one, the little shit. Jackson nearly growled, and leered at Stiles before he acquiesced, dropping the ring in Jackson’s outstretched palm.

“Jackson and Danny, these rings represent the unconditional, unending love you have for one another and are a symbol of the vows you make today. Jackson, please say the vows you have prepared for Danny.

Jackson looked at him then, eyes shining with unshed tears, and smiling wider than Danny had ever seen. “I, Jackson, take you Danny, to be my husband, my partner in life, and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship always, and love you today, tomorrow, forever. I will trust you and respect you; I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally though the best and worst, the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I promise to always be there for you.”

Jackson slid his ring onto Danny’s finger, and he welcomed the heavy weight of it; the weight of Jackson’s promise to him.

Allison wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. “Danny, please say the vows you have prepared for Jackson.”  
Danny took a deep breath; this was it.

“I am not good with words, or declarations of love. But, there are a couple things I know about love, and about the love I feel for you. Our love is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day, and never ever going to sleep angry. It is standing together to face the world, and forming a circle of love that brings together entire families. It is speaking words of appreciation and gratitude, and always having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other space in which to grow, both individually and together. It is searching always for the good and beautiful; in each other, and in ourselves. It is not only marrying the right partner, but _being_ the right partner. All of these I know, and all of these things I promise to you today.”

He slid the ring on Jackson’s finger, and linked their left hands together, making sure the matching rings clinked against each other. It was a sound he wanted to hear everyday for the rest of his life.

Allison put her hand over his and Jackson’s then, and took a deep breath. “By the power vested in me as one of your friends who loves you very much, it is my privilege to stand here today and pronounce you husbands for life. You may kiss!” She let go then, and Danny turned to Jackson, pulling him closer, bringing their lips together for their first kiss as husbands, as the sounds of thunderous clapping faded away to nothing in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ASLDFJASLDFKLASDKFADSK. Oh dear LORd I can’t believe I wrote all that fluff. I'm gonna have cavities. I don't know why i bothered writing a Sterek story. I’m obviously completely obsessed w Jackson/Danny. Anyways. The regularly scheduled Sterek will resume next chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> Heres the entire Jackson/Danny text convo in case it was hard to follow along.
> 
> J: Morning babe. Have anything special happening today? ;)  
> D: Nothing I can think of. You?  
> D: Remind me why YOUR best man is here with me while you’re so far away?  
> J: I have this thing later. It’s kind of a big deal; maybe I’ll see you there?  
> J: What’s dufus’s deal?  
> D: A thing, huh? I could probably be persuaded to join you. With the right motivation. :P  
> D: STILES SLEPT WITH DEREK. I guess that threesome offer is out? I don’t want Stilinski seconds.  
> J: Oh, I’ll definitely make it worth your while.  
> J: He did NOT. After Derek was an absolute ASS? Tell me Stiles has more self-esteem than that.  
> J: Oh my God, Lydia told me him and Bryan weren’t going to work out because Stiles was hung up on Derek. FUCKK. She’s gonna be insufferable.  
> D: They didn’t have sex. I’ll tell Lydia to lay low. For today. Tomorrow you’re on your own.  
> J: Hey, after today, I’m never gonna be on my own again. See you later, I’ll be the one in the suit. Love you. xx  
> D: Stiles will be fine. Although, we may have some ass-kicking in our future. Only time will tell.  
> D: You better believe it. You and me babe, forever. Love you more. XXX
> 
>  
> 
> LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST. I seem to be in the market for a beta. Anyone interested?   
> In related news, I did not have a beta for the second half of this chapter, so IF I MADE MISTAKES please please help me out. :) thanks.


	13. In Which There a Lot of Blueberries. (And Not Because They’re Derek’s Favorite, Okay?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has altercations. It's not a big deal I swear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like you to remember that I AM the one who wrote the beautiful fluff you read in the last chapter. I swear it.

It’s a Thursday. Which means it’s Stiles’s day to be at the coffee shop from open till close. Allison is there for the morning rush and Chris comes in for the lunch rush and sometimes Scott and Lydia will come in to help him out because they’re bored, but he’s there _all_ _day_.

Which. Normally, he doesn’t mind. He doesn’t. He loves working at the shop, surrounded by the scents of espresso, vanilla, sugar and often raspberry. He loves seeing his regulars, loves chatting with new customers. He loves pouring steamed milk in the cappuccinos and making little hearts and leaves and (sometimes) the Batman symbol.

But. He just got back from _Hawaii_. Where, yes, there’d been some hectic wedding craziness, but for the most part had been him and Lydia and Danny and Jackson having a _good-ass_ time; not waking up till noon and drinking pina coladas all day. It was a little hard to get back into the bustle of normal life after a trip like that.

And he wasn’t thinking about the fact that it was nearly 9:30 and Derek hadn’t come in yet. If he thought about _that_ he felt sick to his stomach with guilt and absolute _bone_ - _crushing_ mortification. Was Derek regretting their--and what did he even call it? It was more than a kiss. He didn’t want to call it a _hook-up_ although that’s probably exactly what it was. Was he regretting it? Did he _remember_ it? They were both pretty drunk. Did he take advantage of Derek’s lowered inhibitions? Was Stiles just a warm body, someone who was _there_ or did that ugh- _hook-up_ -mean something? Or was he just embarrassed about the Sheriff walking in on them? Jesus, and that’s another thing he doesn’t want to talk about. Both Stiles’s dad and Cora had tried to get Stile to talk about it at the reception but Stiles had feigned important ‘best man tasks’ to get away from the two. _And_ Cora being the annoying yet terrifyingly clever little munchkin she is, hadn’t left Derek’s side _all night_. So if Stiles had wanted to talk to Derek, he’d have to go through his sister. Who would have brought in their father. Which just wasn’t fucking worth it.

Or so he thought. Because now? It’s been 6 days since he and Derek hooked-up and _nothing_. Not a text or a call or a meeting. Which, granted, Derek doesn’t have his number and Stiles only has _Derek’s_ because of _Lydia_. And yes, he did just get back to work today. But, Derek has always come in at 8 on the dot and he hasn’t yet. So what the fuck. Stiles should have just sucked it the fuck up at the reception and talked to Derek. Because Stiles can’t get him out of  his head. 

Stiles sighed as he shut the textbook on dealing with trauma in children that he needed to _finish_  by the end of next week when the timer on the oven rang. Since Allison (and Scott, today) were handling things in front, Stiles had stayed in the back, hoping to alleviate his anxieties by baking. And baking and baking and baking. He looked around at the trays of blueberry muffins, blueberry scones, blueberry coffee crumble cake, _and_ blueberry-lemon squares before sighing and grabbing mitts to remove the blueberry danishe that were currently in the oven. He wasn’t pining. He just wasn’t.

He arranged all the pastries on display trays and finally made his way out to the front. He slid the trays in with his normal morning goods, pleased to see there was ample room compared to earlier that morning. He loved that people enjoyed his baking.

“Blueberries, huh?” Stiles whipped around, so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten that Allison and Scott were still there. He grinned sheepishly, hoping it didn’t look too much like a grimace as he glanced over to where Allison was stacking cups and assessing him with a concerned expression.

“Mmm, Stiles. These are so good!” He  turned around again to see Scott with not one, but two blueberry-lemon squares in his mouth grinning widely at him. Stiles rolled his eyes.

“That’ll be $3.50 Scott.” He snorted, and moved to wipe off the mess Scott was making all over the display counter. With the state of his love life the way it was, he had really been avoiding coming out here to the happy couple; hoping that Scott would’ve left for work by now. He loved Scott and he adored Allison, but the two of them together was a lot to handle on a normal day, and in his current mood? Yeah right.

Scott frowned, his eyebrows drawing together and almost exactly mirrored the concerned face Allison was making.

“What’s wrong?” Scott demanded finally.

Stiles shrugged. Scott didn’t know what happened at the bachelor party. He didn’t think anyone but his dad, Cora, Erica, Lydia and Danny did. And yeah, he didn’t want to talk about it, but he mostly just felt guilty for not telling Scott sooner. It was _Scott_. They had told each other every benign detail of their lives since they were 4. It felt weird not to.

“I, uh. Well, me and...at Danny and Jackson’s bachelor party…” he started, flailing wildly as he tried to figure out what to say next.

“Spit it out Stiles. I have to leave in 20 minutes.”

“Derek and I kissed. A lot. Horizontally. Well, we started out vertically but there was a chair and I don’t know suddenly we were horizontal? And we were drunk. God. Scott, I was drunk but I swear to god I remember each minute of it _perfectly_. We kissed a _lot_ and before that even started _I told him I had a crush on him_. I told him I had a crush on him, and _he_ kissed _me_. And then my dad was there. _DAD_ was there, Scott. With _Cora_. And, god, _fuck_ , I’m so embarrassed; _he must be so embarassed_ and I haven’t even _talked_ to him since that moment; haven’t even _seen_ him since the wedding. Fuckfuckfuck Scott, _what do I do_?!?” He stopped then, and took a huge breath. He felt like he was on the edge of a panic attack but Scott’s hands were on his back, rubbing in small little circles reassuringly, and so he just looked up at him, waiting to hear what his best friend had to say.

Scott and Allison were both staring at him, Scott with eyes wide and brow furrowed and Allison blushing slightly yet smiling knowingly. Stiles narrowed his eyes at her, “You knew already didn’t you?”

Her blush deepened as Scott turned to her with a betrayed look on his face. “Lydia told me. This is a good thing isn’t it, Stiles? I know how much you like him. And it was pretty obvious he liked you back. Lydia says that Erica thinks he’s hung up on the fact that you and Isaac dated all those years ago, but he seems to have gotten over it?” She bit her lip and looked back and forth between Stiles and Scott, “Right?”

Scott finally shook himself out of the shocked silence he was in and promptly punched Stiles in the arm, _hard_.

“OW! What the fuck, Scott?!”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this right when it happened!” He turned to Allison, “And I can’t believe YOU kept this from me either! I tell you _everything_.”

Allison looked guilty as she went over to give Scott a peck on the lips. “Sorry babe, Lydia swore me to secrecy.” She nudged them both towards the kitchen, as she walked over to the register to help the customers who had just come in.

Stiles shot her a grateful look and then tugged Scott into the other room, “I’m sorry man! But we were both busy at the wedding and then you left before I did, and this is literally the first moment we’ve had alone together since it happened!”

Scott shot him a funny look then, and Stiles braced himself for whatever was about to come next.

“Dad and _Cora_ know about this?”

Stiles slapped a palm over his face, “It’s not like I _told_ them Scott! They just, somehow, got a front seat view to the event. Trust me, I don’t think I can face either one of them ever again.”

Scott snorted, and Stiles looked up to see that the hurt look had finally disappeared from his face, only to be replaced with one of downright _glee_. He could tell Scott was trying his hardest to keep from bursting out in laughter.

“Oh go ahead. Thanks buddy, laugh it up; it was only the most mortifying experience of _my life_.”

Scott looked away, trying to school his features into something closer to normal and Stiles sighed in relief. _This_ was why Scott was his best friend. When Jackson finds out about that night, however, it’s probably going to be as embarrassing as the event itself.

Scott looked up finally, face more sympathetic and thoughtful than mocking and Stiles took a moment to appreciate his brother’s big heart.

“Don’t worry about it, Stiles! It’s only been a few days, you were out of town. Maybe Derek is still in Hawaii? Aren’t Erica and Lydia getting back this morning? He’s probably with them! He’ll come in to the shop and you guys will talk, and everything will be _fine_ Stiles.” Scott grabbed his shoulder reassuringly before before pulling Stiles into grabbing him and pulling Stiles into a bear hug. “I have to go to work, now, but s _top worrying. And stop baking_. It’s all going to be fine, you’ll see!” He shot him the patented sunshine-and-honey-Scott smile and ran out the door.

Stiles hoped to _God_ that he was right.

____________________________________

Stiles was by himself later that day, Alli had left not long after Scott had, and Chris had left  after helping Stiles through the busy lunch shift. He was just wiping down one of the espresso machines after a large order when he heard the bell on the door tinkle, alerting him to a new customer. His heart thudded a bit in his chest, just like it had all day in response to the bell, hoping that it would be Derek walking through the door.

He tossed the rag under the counter and looked up to see---Bryan. _Crap. FuckCrapBallsShitShitShit_. Stiles hadn’t even spared him a _single_ thought since the whole thing with Derek had happened. Goddammit he was a terrible person. Fuck Bryan was walking towards him and for once in his life _he had no words_. How do you tell someone you forgot to think about them? Forgot to consider them as being part of your life? At least one thing was for sure. He needed to tell Bryan to move on with his life.

Bryan walked up to the counter, arms raising as though he was going to give Stiles a hug. Stiles pulled an evasive maneuver, ending with him and Bryan shaking hands instead of hugging. It felt awkward. Things with Bryan had always felt awkward. Like he WANTED them to be a thing but they were never actually compatible enough. Bryan was attractive and sweet and smart but there was _no_ spark. Not like there should be. Not like Stiles had with Derek. He cringed. He was definitely a terrible person.

He schooled his expression into something amiable and smiled slightly at Bryan. “Hey man, it’s slow right now. How about you grab a table and I’ll make us a couple drinks and come over?”

Bryan smiled widely, seemingly pleased that Stiles was willing to give him his undivided attention. It only made the trepidation and unease in his stomach worse. This was _not_ going to end well.

He grabbed his signature hazelnut coffee and a black tea for Bryan (even his drink order was easy. _Why_ couldn’t Stiles just like him?).

He picked up a couple croissants on his way over to the table and set everything down with a large clang. He chuckled nervously at the amused look on Bryan’s face and sat down quickly across from him. He grabbed a croissant and and started tearing at it, dropping the bits he tore into the plate instead of eating them. Bryan looked at him curiously and Stiles hoped his nervousness wasn’t too apparent.

“How’ve you been Stiles? How was the wedding?”

Stiles grinned, latching on to a safe topic. “Oh my god, dude, you don’t even know. Hawaii is actually the BEST place I’ve ever been in my life. The wedding was _gorgeous_ and oh god, Allison did everything so perfectly. I was bawling halfway through; it was SO embarrassing. But God, Danny looked so happy and _Jackson was smiling_ which I’d been told he did sometimes but I’d barely ever seen.” He smiled at the thought, “It was a pretty perfect wedding.”

Bryan smiled, grabbing his cup to take a quick sip. “Yeah sounds like it! Jackson’s not coming back to work for a _month;_ how is that even possible to honeymoon for that long? Isn’t Danny a medical student?”

“Danny is a _Mahealani-Whittemore_ now. Between those two last names in _this_ town he can do pretty much whatever the hell he wants. I’m sure getting some time off of school was no work at all.” Stiles grinned, “And as for the honeymoon? Those lucky bastards are spending a two weeks in Zurich for skiing followed by a week in Venice and a week in Florence. _After_ their two weeks in Hawaii. It’s ridiculous.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” There was an awkward silence then and Stiles wasn’t sure what to say next. Did he tell Bryan about Derek? Did he just tell him he wasn’t interested? Stiles had no frame of reference for this. He’d never had to break up with someone before. If that was even what was happening. Do you break up with someone you aren’t official with? Whatever. He just had to be nice, and sensitive and just let Bryan down easy.

“So, how do you feel about..”

“So here’s the thing, Bryan..”

They’d both started to talk at the same time but abruptly trailed off as they realized the other was talking. Stiles flapped his hands in a vague sort of way that Bryan luckily translated as Stiles wanting him to go first.

“Okay, well I know the last conversation we had didn’t end too well. We both said some things that I’m sure we didn’t mean. How do you feel about starting over? Do you wanna go out with me? Tomorrow night?”

“I met someone else.” Well _fuck_. So much for nice and sensitive. Sometimes he really cursed his apparent lack of a filter.

Bryan sat up straighter as his face drooped. He didn’t look sad though, he looked _pissed_. Well, great. Sad would have been pathetic but easy. Pissed is gonna be hard as hell to deal with.

“What the _fuck_  Stiles?!” Right, well. That’s a response he should have anticipated.

He blanched, “Well, technically...I met this person before I met you? I just...didn’t know they were interested.” He was such an asshole. Seriously. How was he even allowed to interact with the public. On the one hand, he literally couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

But...on the other hand...he needed to say these things. It wasn’t fair to Bryan OR Derek OR himself if he lied about his feelings. That was probably the worst thing he could do in this situation. Bryan probably wouldn’t appreciate that now, but he could only hope that the realization that this was for the best would work itself out eventually. Stiles _wasn’t_ a bad person, okay? So maybe he had shitty taste (i.e. guys a million times out of his league); but he would _never_ intentionally lead someone on. Which is why this thing with Greenberg had to end. No matter how right Bryan was for him in a world where Derek Hale didn’t exist; the fact was that Derek Hale _did_ exist and everyone concerned just had to fucking deal. Including him. Because he didn’t know if Derek felt the same way about him. Or if he ever would.

But _fuck_. He was getting off topic. Right now it was about Bryan. Bryan who was cute, and hot, and funny but didn’t have the ability to set Stiles’s pulse ablaze. _If only_. He gazed up at Bryan through his eyelashes. It was a patented move of his; a way of (hopefully) coming off as blameless and simple, while actually being slightly manipulative. He _should_ feel guilty about this; luckily, he’s selfish enough to pull it off mostly blamelessly. He grabbed one of Bryan’s hands, the guilt _slowly_ making its way to the surface.

“Look Bryan, I’m sorry, I really am! But you...You deserve better than me! You deserve to be cherished with every breath, appreciated every moment and I’m _not that guy_. Sure we could have some fun rolling around in the sheets, but that’s _all it would ever be_. And that’s _not fair to you_. It isn’t. And I _wish_ I was the guy that would make you happy but I’m not! I’m _not the guy for you_ and you deserve better and I’m _so fucking sorry_ I went behind your back and fooled around with another guy when we were supposedly together. I am. If you take anything away from this please just know that _I’m sorry_ and I feel as though I _cheated_ and I don’t even know if that’s _accurate_ because I don’t even know how together we truly were.” He finished the montage breathing hard, but meaning every word. Allison’s scary grandfather had always told people to _speak with conviction_ and he sure as fucking hell had done that. Now, all he could do was sit back and wait that 1) Bryan wouldn’t hate him forever and 2) Derek fucking Hale would magically come around and magically feel for Stiles what Stiles felt for him. He just hoped he wasn’t asking for too much.

He looked up at Bryan finally, slowly, not knowing what to expect. At this point he was just hoping not to get punched in the face. He wasn’t sure his delicate bone structure could handle that, okay? Crap. There he went, being a sarcastic asshole again. He really needed to reign it in.

Bryan had a resolved sort of look on his face; one that was almost triumphant. He wasn’t looking at Stiles though; but at something just behind Stiles’s head. At something that had probably _just walked through the door_ behind Stiles’s head. _Someone_.

Stiles stilled, ice running through his veins as he thought through who could be at the door and result in Bryan’s triumphant look. Only one person came to mind.

He turned around to see Derek, looking as though he’d heard far too much of Stiles’s speech. _Looking as though he was reassesing everything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only comment if you aren't going to be TOO mean. IDK if i can handle it. This was hell to write. I owe everything this chapter is to (my brand new beautiful beta) [laynacakes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/laynacakes/pseuds/laynacakes).  
> Even though she hates me right now too. I promised her fluff apparently. Go commiserate w her.
> 
> Next up is the regularly scheduled Derek POV followed by either Laura or Isaac. I'd love to know who YOU'D like to hear from. Tell me tell me tell me! 
> 
> <3 I love you guys I promise.
> 
> PS. Do I use too many italics?


	14. In Which Derek Angsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says in the title. Sorry about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be some angst but this chapter is shorter than the others cuz I really hated writing it. Regularly scheduled fluff will be back shortly.

Derek was the best roommate ever. Scratch that; he was the best _friend_ ever. Here he was, in this stupid sunny state that he hadn’t wanted to come to in the first place because of Erica. _She_ had wanted a chance to get away with her girlfriend, and because he was the amazing person that he was, he had agreed to come and keep her company on the flight. _Just_ the flight. Then it was supposed to be _Erica and Lydia_ while Derek got to go hiking and snorkeling _be by himself_. But no; he not only came to Hawaii and _paid for his own ticket_ as well as attended a wedding he gave no fucks about but was now scrambling around their shared hotel room trying to pack for the _both of them_ so they didn’t miss their plane. It was times like these that he wasn’t sure he was going to miss Erica when she moved out. Maybe he would retract that statement in a week when he had no food, but as of right now, he couldn’t wait to have his own (girl-free) bedroom again. Erica had done a _ton_ of shopping in the boutiques by the beach in the last couple days and had she packed any of it? Of course not. It was literally three hours before their flight was going to leave and the two girls were at yet another beach, and he was trying to pack up their things while Lydia and Erica continued to lay  on the sand trying to “capture every last ray of sun, DJ! It’s not like this back home!”

Back home. _He wanted to be back home._ He wanted his apartment, and his bed, and his _coffeeshop_ and his Sti-

Fuck.

That was another thing he couldn’t get out of his head. He needed to go back home and see if the bubble of perfect he’d been able to create at the beach resort around the idea of _himandStiles_ was actually attainable. He’d spent everyday since the bachelor party thinking what if and he was so ready to be back home and get to know Stiles’s view of things. Which was why Erica and Lydia needed to get back right-the-fuck-now--so they could leave for their flight. Back home. Where. Well, you know.

He had just put in the last of their (meticulously folded) wedding clothes into garment bags when Erica and Lydia _deigned_ to grace him with their presence and start getting ready for the flight. Well, getting themselves ready that is. He’d already taken care of the rest of it.

Erica took one look at the room and squealed, “Awww DJ! Did you pack for us? You are too sweet!”

Lydia turned to him with one perfectly plucked eyebrow raised, “Thanks Derek. I’m kinda surprised you managed to do this so nicely.” _Well fuck you too Lydia._ _Thanks for helping._

This vacation’s end really couldn’t come soon enough

____________________________________________

Three hours later _(somehow, thanks to him)_ they were all seated on a plane headed back to California. Not only that, but thanks to Lydia’s (father’s) connections, they had all been bumped up to first class. Derek was looking forward to a relaxing ride where he could just sit back, watch some stupid TV, and look forward to being home. He obviously didn't factor in the fact that Erica was going to be there. Which he should’ve known would mean this ride would be far from peaceful.

They hadn’t even been in the air for half an hour when…

“So...Der-bear..” He groaned. He had a feeling he knew what this was going to be about.

“What.” He gritted out. Why did everyone in his life _insist_ on talking him through fucking _everything_? What if he just wanted to think through shit on his own? Apparently that wasn’t an option. He knew he was only the object of Erica’s attention because Lydia was fast asleep with a _Princess_ facemask on. He felt like ripping the frilly pink think to shreds, just so the girls had a different subject to talk about. Anything other than Derek and _DerekAndStiles_ and Derek’s _feelings_ would be perfectly all right in his opinion. He really really didn’t understand the girls’ need to talk through everything.

Although. _Fuck_. Maybe he needed to think some of this shit through. He wasn’t sure what was happening between him and Stiles, he wasn’t sure that what _had_ _happened_ had really meant anything at all. He’d ignored Stiles for ages, how could he hope to just throw himself into something now? What did making out at the bachelor party even mean? Derek certainly wasn’t the type to “love ‘em and leave ‘em” but _what if Stiles was_? What if Derek had just been hot and DTF and all Stiles had wanted was that night? He could definitely admit that he hadn’t been nice to Stiles in the past. So why would he even be looking for anything more?

But then again. He’d had reasons for not getting into things with Stiles. Reasons that everyone in the world though were _stupid_ but still! You don’t sleep with a friend’s (or surrogate little brother’s) ex. You _definitely_ don’t get into a relationship with them. That shit is _messy_ and ends up with a lot of hurt people. Why did he think this case would be any different? Stiles was _Isaac_ ’s ex. He loved and adored Isaac and would never ever even think about doing anything to hurt the guy. So how could he think about doing this? How was this fair to anyone involved? He really really should just forget the entire trip ever happened. Forget the party, forget the kiss, forget the way that Stiles’s perfect whiskey brown eyes had found his when Danny and Jackson were saying their vows.

But how exactly? This was _Stiles_. The guy he’d spent _two perfect weeks_ getting to know and really really like. But then, he had to go and find out Stiles was Isaac’s ex. That really wasn’t something he could ignore. Was it? Could he? How would Isaac even feel about that? He really should talk to Isaac before anything happened. 

Wait. That's  _exactly_ what he should do. And no matter how nervous it made him, or how  _fucking awkward_ that conversation would be.

Erica glanced at him with an amused expression on her face, head tilted slightly and lips in a smile, not a smirk. That was interesting. Maybe she would be nice about this.

“Tell me what’s going on Der. I know you’re taciturn as fu-- _hell" (_ Derek rolled his eyes. He didn't see why Erica bothered to hide her potty mouth in pubilc.) "but I also know when you have something on your mind” Derek snorted at Erica’s attempt at not cussing; not really surprised she hadn’t succeeded. She honestly knew him too fucking well and that’s kinda what made this so hard. She wasn’t going to take any bullshit. Not from him.

“I wanna ask out Stiles.”

Erica honest to God squealed. She broke out into the biggest grin he’d seen on her face since the first night her and Lydia had had sex and grabbed his arm tightly.

“Yeah? Aww DJ I’m so happy. You guys seem really good for each other.” Derek hid a smile. He really wasn’t sure if Erica knew about Isaac and Stiles’s history. She should though. It was only fair. Erica was looking at him like she normally did, one part concerned and multiple parts amused.He took a deep breathe.

“You know about the Isaac thing right?” He said finally.

Erica’s smile faded slightly, as her eyebrows scrunched, making her look extremely annoyed. “What about Izzy, DJ?”

“Oh I don’t know Erica, maybe the fact that Stiles was the first guy Isaac was ever with? His first real adult relationship?”

He looked up. She didn’t look angry or disapproving or anything. Maybe a little annoyed still. He really didn't know what to think.

“Come on Derek! You’re _still_ hung up on that? You really really need to get over it. Stiles and he are _just_ friends now. Plus Isaac is perfectly happy with...someone.”

Derek narrowed his eyes at her. Why was he always the last one to find out about things?

“With who? Erica! You figured it out? Why haven’t you told me.”

Erica bit her lip and gave him her best (fake) innocent face. “Sorry DJ. Isaac was kinda upset when I found out. He had really just wanted to tell me himself. So I’m gonna let him take this one okay?”

Derek rolled his eyes. It was really hard to deny Isaac things. For all them.

“Fine.” He would let it go for now. “But now tell me what to do about Stiles.”

Erica’s grin turned downright _wicked_. “Oh see, now _that_ I can do.”

_________________________________

Eight hours later, Derek was home, showered, and debating whether he wanted to grab a nap or grab a coffee.

Who was he even kidding? Coffee (and _Stiles_ ) first for sure. It was late but he could definitely go for a decaf right now. And god, a blueberry muffin! It had been over a week since he’d had Stiles’s baking.

He walked briskly towards the coffee shop, thinking about what he should say. Thinking about what he even wanted. He definitely wanted to finish what they’d started the other day in Hawaii. He kinda wanted a dinner, cheesy movie dates and walks downtown under the twinkly lights. He really wanted to watch Stiles bake.

But that would have to wait until he'd spoken to Isaac. All he wanted today was a conversation. 

He hesitated once he got there, hand halfway to the door, and tried to peek in surreptitiously. He didn’t see anyone behind the counter, but that didn’t mean Stiles wasn’t there. 

He opened the door and heard the faint sounds of Stiles talking coming from his right. He looked over and saw the Stiles’s back and that he was seated across from another man, talking softly but urgently. It looked like a _date_. His heart sunk.

He saw Stiles put his hand on the other man after he finished speaking, and the man looked up finally, noticing Derek there and throwing him a nasty look. 

He wasn’t sure what _his_ face looked like in that moment but it sure as _hell_ looked like Stiles was already in a relationship. He was sitting there, with his hand resting on another man’s wrist and shit, Derek had to get out of there. Stiles had a boyfriend. Stiles has a boyfriend. Which meant that _Stiles had cheated on his boyfriend_ when he and Derek had been together. 

He felt sick. If there was one thing he absolutely couldn’t stand it was cheating. It was the one thing he couldn’t forgive. And it wasn’t even about sex. It was about all the looks they’d shared during the wedding and reception, looks that made Derek _certain_ that he wasn’t the only one who was interested.

But Stiles had a boyfriend. Which either meant that Stiles wasn’t all that serious about Derek, or that Stiles was the type of person who could just string multiple people along. Or he was willing to have random sex with (basically) a stranger when he was in a different state as his boyfriend. None of which Derek could wrap his head around. There was no way this was happening. Not ever.

Stiles turned around then, and Derek caught a glimpse of a apologetic, resigned look before he turned around and left. He heard a chair shift behind him, and what may have been his name, but he didn’t stop. He ran from the store, sprinted down the block and didn’t stop until he was firmly ensconced in his office building. He _hoped_ his sister or Peter weren’t there; it was late enough in the day that they might have gone home already. He made his way through the office, treading softly, hoping to hell he could just reach his office, lock the door, and pretend the last week of his life had never happened.

He just felt so _stupid_. He was the one that had originally avoided getting together with Stiles, of course Stiles had found someone else in that time. But why had Stiles reciprocated in Hawaii? He hoped to God Stiles wasn’t cruel enough to lead him on, only to throw a boyfriend in his face later on.

No. He wouldn’t do that. There was no way a man who _cried_ at a wedding would be so insensitive.

Which meant that Stiles had been drunk and Derek had been hot and he’d made a stupid decision. Which Derek could live with as long as he never had to see Stiles ever again. He didn’t think he could stand it.

He past by his sister’s office then and heard soft voices and the distinct murmur of a man’s voice. He felt torn between wanting to hid from the world and finally meet his sister’s secret paramore.

His mini conflict was solved suddenly when the door in front of him swung open, and out tumbled Laura arms around _Isaac_?! They were smiling contentedly at each other and his _for-all-intents-and-purposes-adopted-little-brother_ dropped a small kiss on his _big sister_ ’s lips. They both looked up then, to see Derek gaping at them, eyebrows furrowed, looking as though he was halfway between crying and punching someone.

He turned around then, and stalked into his office, slamming the door behind him, not even giving them a chance to say a word. It sounded like Laura called after him but he didn’t want to deal right now.

He locked the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was a little harsh and rambly right? I don't really like this chapter very much and after such a long wait I feel like I'm definitely letting you guys down. :(
> 
> Stick around though and there'll be some ISAAC POV next!!! It should be MUCH better and MUCH longer. And I SWEAR the update won't take too long. I've been motivated lately.
> 
>  
> 
> ALL THE LOVE, HUGS, AND KISSES TO [laynacakes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/laynacakes/pseuds/laynacakes).  
> . <3


	15. In Which Isaac Angsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac POV. Isaac and Erica talk, Isaac and Laura talk, Isaac and Derek talk. Who knew Isaac was so chatty?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been long as hell since I've posted. REALLY sorry. One of my betas and I HAVE however plotted out the rest of this story so updates are going to be more frequent. More notes at end; make sure to check them out.

Isaac really needed to talk to Derek. Or was it Laura who really needed to talk to Derek?

Either way. _Someone_ needed to tell Derek about his and Laura’s relationship, and honestly, he didn’t really want it to be him. If he could avoid bringing up that particular topic, that would be just fine with him thank you very much.

Have you ever wished you could just fast forward time and come out the other side with your problems taken care of? Yeah, that’s basically how Isaac felt right now. He really needed to just get over the whole _telling_ Derek part and just, kinda, somehow reach the _Derek-knows-and-is-totally-fine-with-it part_. Yeah, that would be really nice.

Laura and he had been dating for a few months now and he really didn’t think he could be any happier. He felt like one of those story-book/bad rom-com movie cliches where the boy is in love with his best friends older sister, but would never _ever_ have a chance with her. The kind where the boy pines and pines for _years_ while seeing the perfect, beautiful, intelligent older _woman_ date all sorts of miscreants before she _finally notices him_. Like, it was honestly the most cliche thing ever. Isaac had actually been comforting Laura over a break-up, being kind, and unassuming, and gentle when _she_ had turned to _him_ and asked him to coffee.

Needless to say, it had kinda been the best day of Isaac’s life.

Along with _every_ _damn day_ that followed. He was in med school and _dating the girl of his dreams_. Life really couldn’t get any better.

Well, once Derek knew what was happening and accepted the entire thing, his life would be perfect.

Assuming, of course, that Derek took it well. And didn’t punch him. Or yell at him. Or at Laura. Or be disapproving of the fact that Laura is several years older.

Yeah. If none of that happened, his life would _actually_ be perfect.

\--

A couple days later he was hanging out at Erica’s, enjoying her latest recipe of grilled chicken with wild rice and asparagus. He didn’t really understand how she had so many different ways of cooking a chicken breast but this one had a lemon zest thing going out that was downright _delicious_.

“...So anyways, Lydia and Stiles are best friends with Danny and Jackson and are already _in_ Hawaii, the lucky butts. DJ and I are gonna head out in a couple days. Lydia has been snapchatting me _nonstop_ and I _swear_ the minute I get there I’m gonna yell at her for being so cruel.”

Isaac snorted to himself as he continued to shovel down Erica’s cooking. It was _amazing_ okay? If he hadn’t opted to live in the dorms, he _definitely_ would have tried getting a place with her instead of letting her move in with Derek.

“Like look at this!! I screen-shotted it, even though that technically breaks the rules of snapchat but whatever. Here she is, _lying on a beach with a mojito_ when she told me she just absolutely _had_ to go early in order to help get things together for the ceremony! Does this look like she’s working, Izzy? I sure as hell don’t _think so_!” She stalked back to the kitchen then, apparently pulling out an entire ( _second_ ) chicken from the oven. Sometimes he felt extremely lucky that Erica cooked when she was upset. Today, he just hoped Derek came home _soon_ with a large appetite.

Isaac smiled to himself as he heard Erica slamming pots and pans around in the kitchen and wondered how much of this indignation was Lydia being in Hawaii, and how much of it was the simple matter of his sister missing her girlfriend. Considering Erica had been to _much_ nicer places for modeling shoots, he was gonna have to go with the latter. It had been so long since Erica had been in a relationship (that casual thing with Boyd _didn’t_ count, and he’d really prefer not to think about it) and she and Lydia always seemed so happy when they were together. It was actually really cute how much Erica was missing her.

“You guys are doing good, huh?”

Erica shuffled back into the room, giving him a shy smile. “Yeah. I can’t believe how much I like her. I didn't think it was possible to like someone this much so fast.”

Isaac smiled to himself. He knew what that felt like. Erica looked at him slyly, and he blushed. She could read him far too well, she must know exactly what he was thinking.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Erica about him and Laura. It wasn’t even that he didn’t want to tell Derek.

But.

Erica _knew_ him. She knew when he was 15 years old and looked at Laura like she’d hung the moon. The way they started out-- it had just been a few casual dates. He went into it knowing that he felt way more for Laura than she felt for him. If things didn’t end up working out, Isaac would be heartbroken, and Erica would be upset, and she would take it out on Laura.

It wasn’t so casual anymore. They’d had a lot of conversations about it. Laura even knew how long he’d had a crush for. They were _exclusive_ (it still gave him a thrill to think about it that way). Laura was his _girlfriend_ ; something that he had honestly thought would never happen.

He knew it was time they started telling people. Laura didn’t ever really introduce guys she was dating to Peter or Derek because they were horribly judgemental, and had made no indication that she was telling Peter or Derek about Isaac. He was however leaning towards the notion that if any of them were going to tell Derek, it should probably be Laura. Derek hadn't really been too interested in his love life in the past anyways so Isaac was leaning towards the notion that it should probably be Laura to talk to him.

Erica was a different story. He couldn't remember successfully hiding anything from her since he was 10 years old. Either he provided the information voluntarily, or she figured things out herself.

As for Erica and Laura; they’d always been close. Not as close as Erica and Derek, but as far as Isaac knows, they met up for drinks at least once a month to talk about relationships and work and more often than not, Isaac and Derek. He knows they’ve met a few times since he and Laura have started dating, and assumes that she hasn’t told Erica anything-there’s no way Erica would pretend not to know that.

Which brought him to the conclusion idea that Laura doesn’t want people to know about them? Which fills him to no end with trepidation and dejection. _Why_ doesn’t Laura want anyone to know about them? Is she _embarrassed_? Does she not plan on staying with Isaac for much longer? She and Derek definitely talk about the important things in their lives which means that he must not be important. Not important enough to be out in the open.

Or maybe he was just being ridiculous. Maybe Laura expected _him_ to be the one to tell people. Maybe she wanted to tell them together. Maybe she was enjoying being able to date each other without the constant mocking of everyone that loved them. He can definitely see the appeal there.

He should just _talk_ to Laura. He may have spent _years_ thinking the world of her but they were equals. She counted on his opinions and made him feel smart and _sexy_ and like they truly belonged together; like every stupid romantic comedy Erica had ever made him watch.

He should just talk to her, find out what’s going on and go from there. They could maybe just tell people together.

“So whatcha thinking ‘bout Izzy?” He blinked a couple times and looked up. At some point while he’d been wrapped up in his thoughts, Erica had finished cooking and sat down across from him with a plate piled high. “Could it be the mystery lady I’m _dying_ to know more about?”

Like he said. Erica often figured his life out herself. He really only had to volunteer very minimal information and wait for her to put the very sparse pieces together.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly, and shook his head, all while shoveling a huge spoon of rice into his mouth. She couldn’t get anything out of him if he couldn’t talk, right?

“Lemme guess, green eyes, dark hair, forceful personality, gorgeous and smart?” _Wrong_.

Isaac’s eyes widened a he hastened to swallow his food and ask Erica what exactly she knew. He could feel his cheeks flood with color as he attempted to look _anywhere_ that wasn’t directly at Erica and the hawk-like gaze she was currently sporting.

He sighs. Might as well get this over with then. “What do you know?”

Erica smirks. “Well, I _know_ that my baby brother has pined for the girl of his dreams _forever_ and talks about her _constantly_ but I really haven’t heard anything about a certain Hale in months. So why don’t _you_ tell _me_?”

Isaac adopts what he hopes is a completely blank look, and says sarcastically, “Hey Erica guess what! Laura and I are dating! Thanks for having the decency to be patient and let us tell you ourselves!” Oops. That might have come out a bit snappier than he intended. He gets that Erica is just looking out for him, and quite possibly knows him better than he knows himself, but still. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

Erica, thankfully, looks more guilty than upset. “Wow, Izzy, didn’t mean to make you so upset.” She narrows her eyes at him, and he can just _see_ her mind running at hundred miles an hour. “What's _actually_ bothering you, Iz?”

Isaac is about to tell Erica that he really can’t talk about this with her just yet, and that he really just needs to clear some things up with Laura first, when he hears the door being unlocked.

Isaac managed to shoot Erica a look, shaking his head and mouthing the word later to her before Derek comes into the room. Thankfully, she nods curtly and gets up to grab Derek some food. Well that’s taken care of. _For now_.

\--

 

Isaac is standing outside Derek and Erica’s apartment and is _really_ worried.

_Especially_ since he and Laura had finally talked things over with each other about where they stood in each others lives. Laura hadn’t _not_ wanted to tell Derek and Peter for any particular reason; she had just been happy with the way things were going and figured it would come up when it came up. When she’d realized how upset Isaac was over it, she had called Peter up _right away_ so Peter could meet the _two of them_ for dinner. It had been embarrassing and only minimally awkward, but then again most meals with Peter are daunting. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

He and Laura had also decided that as soon as Derek got back from Hawaii, they’d do the same thing. Maybe take him and Stiles (who apparently Derek had hooked up with in Hawaii) out to a sort of double date and just put everything out in the open. But then, Derek saw them at Laura’s office and Derek’s reaction to seeing him and Laura was so far below even _acceptable_ that he’s actually really nervous now. He doesn’t know what to say to Derek, doesn’t know if Derek will even talk to him. He gets that Derek might be a little wary over their relationship, but his reaction seemed a bit too harsh.

He really hopes Derek will talk to him. Derek’s always been like an older brother to Isaac, and if he’s against their relationship, Isaac doesn’t know what he’ll do. He loves Laura, like _really_ loves her, but he doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Derek. He’s stuck between two people he really cares about, and he wants to keep them both.

Before Isaac can work up the courage to knock on the door, it’s thrown open and a very grumpy-looking Erica says, “Stop standing outside the door and go fix whatever you did to Derek. He’s unbearable.” She turns right around then and flounces back inside.

Which is saying something, because Erica had _moved in_ with Derek knowing he was occasionally the very definition of a hermit, and she usually handled his mood without a problem. So if even Erica is fed up with him, then Derek must be acting horrible. Isaac suddenly wants to run back to the safety of Laura’s office.

Isaac steps in then, and looks around horrified at the half-packed boxes littering the front room of the apartment.

“Jesus, Erica, don’t tell me Derek is so unbearable you’re _moving out_! What’s going on right now?”

Erica just gives him a look as though he’s being terribly slow but he just stares at her, even more anxious than he’d been before he walked in.

“No Izzy, don’t be silly! Didn’t I _tell_ you I was moving in with Lydia now that Danny and Jackson are going to be living together? We kind of talked it over in Hawaii and decided it was something we wanted to do.”

Wow. That was...fast.

“Erica, haven’t you guys only been dating a few months?”

“Yes, we have, and we can talk about this later. Right now, _you_ need to go talk to _Derek_. He hasn’t said two words since he came home from the office a couple hours ago, just mumbled something about you and Laura, and has been _locked_ in his room since then, blasting The Cure. _The fucking Cure_ Isaac. Something’s not okay.”

He grimaces. This is exactly what he didn’t want to deal with. He was so sure Laura would take care of it; _she’d said she would take care of it_. But then some sort of work emergency had come up and she’d sent Isaac ahead to talk to Derek, insisting that they needed to fix this _today_ before anything blew anymore out of proportion.

He gets up, and walks _slowly_ over to Derek’s room and knocks. He doesn’t wait before turning the knob. Surprisingly, it’s unlocked, so he just walks in. Derek’s laying on the bed in a gray tank top and blue basketball shorts, staring at an open book in his hands. The Cure is blasting from the speakers connected to his laptop in the corner, and the whole room looks insanely _clean_ , like the first thing Derek did when he got home was go on a cleaning binge as a way of keeping his mind off of things. He _knows_ Derek usually keeps his room _fairly_ neat and just a little disorganized, so the flawlessness of the current room is more than a little telling.

He isn’t really sure if he should sit on the chair so he looks less intense, or stand by the door for an easy getaway. Derek hasn’t turned to him at all the whole time he’s been looking around though, and if he was going to be thrown out it would’ve happened already. He sits.

“So you and my sister, huh?” Derek’s no longer reading (or pretending to read) the book in front of him. Instead it’s still open, and laying over his eyes. “I guess it’s about time.”

Wait, _what_. This wasn’t what he was expecting at all. “Uhm, yes? What?”

Derek chuckled softly. “I was wondering when you guys would get your acts together. I still remember Laura coming home after law school to take the Bar and seeing you just after your freshman year of college. She wouldn’t shut up about how hot you’d gotten. After that, I had figured it was just a matter of time.”

_What_. “What?!”

Derek sat up then, the book sliding off his face and turned to Isaac. “Look, Isaac, it’s fine. I'm not upset over this. Yes, it was weird at first, because I consider you _both_ my siblings, but you never had that kind of relationship with Laura. Like I said. I always figured this was going to happen anyways. I kind of wish I had been told when it _started_ , I wish you guys would’ve given me enough credit for _that_ but I’m not upset about that.”

Wow. So, that’s settled. Apparently. That was so much easier than expected. Although, when he tells Laura about it later, it’s going to be fraught with tension so he can get some secrets out of her. Preferably they’ll be the ones about after law school that Derek had alluded to, but he’s not picky. He’ll get them all in time.

In the meanwhile...”So wait, then what _are_ you upset about? I saw your face earlier; you looked pretty wrecked man. What was happening there if it wasn’t about Laura and me?”

Derek laid back down then, and looked at the ceiling instead of at Isaac so he can tell that even though Derek doesn’t _want_ to talk about it, he actually _is_ going to.

“Well, so I kind of _might_ have hooked up with Stiles a little bit in Hawaii?”

Isaac knew that, Erica had basically texted him _while_ it was happening. He wasn’t as happy as _she_ had been, but he’d _always_ thought Stiles and Derek could have been good together. “Yeah, I’d actually been meaning to talk to you about Stiles. I always thought you guys would have been good together.”

Derek whipped around then, and stared at Isaac incredulously. “Are you _kidding_ me right now?”

“No, what?”

“I didn’t go out with Stiles in the _fucking first place_ ‘cause I thought that it would be weird because of _you_. Because of you and him. Because of _your_ fucking _history_!”

Isaac snorted. Derek _so_ would.

“I didn’t make a move on him months ago, and _now he fucking has a boyfriend._ Not only that, but _he cheated on his boyfriend with me_. Man, Isaac, when am I going to pick a decent person for _once_ in my life? I’m always attracted to assholes.”

Wait no way. There’s no _way_ Stiles would cheat. Also, “Stiles doesn’t have a boyfriend Derek. Not to mention he is _not_ a cheater. He’s actually ridiculous about it, he must’ve had a bad experience, I don’t know. But I _do_ know that Stiles can _act_ like an asshole a lot of the time but he’s absolutely _one hundred percent_ one of the good guys.”

Derek just stared at him for a bit. It was a little uncomfortable.

“Derek, I’m serious. Stiles would not do that. I don’t _know_ what you saw or what you _think_ you saw but you should just go talk to Stiles if you like him. I know the guy pretty well, and I know that if he made out with you at Danny’s wedding then he is into _you_. He’s _not_ the type to sleep around.”

Isaac stood up then, figuring that Derek probably needed to be left alone with his thoughts. He didn't look as upset as he did half an hour ago, and so he really, really hopes that Derek will take his advice and go talk to Stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES! On the way to mend. Hopefully permanently this time. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed Isaac; after Monday's episode I was so bummed about him being hurt that I decided I needed to bust this out.
> 
> A few things:
> 
> 1) Super sorry about the fact that this has taken so long. I just haven't really been motivated to write this story. I've actually been writing [another story](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1161295/chapters/2359701) that I'm actually going to be posting more often. It's a Sterek military pen pals AU, and people seem to like it so if you're bored and waiting for more of _this _story you could go check it out!__
> 
> __2) There's a bunch of one shot scenes I want to write for this verse including Lydia/Erica dates, stories of how Danny/Jackson finally got together and then future shots of life a after this story ends. One example is the scene from THIS chapter where Laura and Isaac have dinner with Peter. I'd love to hear what you guys would be interested in reading!_ _
> 
> __3) While I have betas (Thank you, thank you to__[breeisonfire](http://archiveofourown.org/users/breeisonfire/pseuds/breeisonfire), [laynacakes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/laynacakes/pseuds/laynacakes), and [crazykookie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/crazykookie/pseuds/crazykookie)) , and they're AMAZING, I was kinda in a hurry to post this chapter once I'd finished it so it's only half beta'd. Please excuse any mistakes. My tenses are probably all mixed up. I'll make edits sooner or later. Let me know if anything is glaringly obvious, please and thank you.
> 
> 4)Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck by this story, CONTINUES to stick by this story, and has commented/subscribed/kudos-ed. I love you guys.


	16. In Which Things Are Definitely On The Mend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles POV. Takes place directly after the last Stiles chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened a hell of a lot faster than I anticipated!

Stiles cannot believe he had bothered to give Brian the time of day. They way he’d looked at Derek, like he’d _known_ Stiles’s entire world was coming crashing down at Derek seeing them together was just indicative of the fact Brian couldn’t give a _fuck_ as to whether or not Stiles was happy. Which probably meant he would’ve been a selfish ass of a boyfriend too.

So fuck him.

It’s not really that hard to assume what Derek was thinking when they walked in, the guy had looked at Stiles like he was _hurt_  and  _disappointed_ , and Stiles really has no  _clue_ what to make of that. 

He’d wanted so badly to go back home and drink his way through his melancholy but he’d had class and sections to teach Friday morning, so he’d done the (semi-)responsible thing and lost himself in a couple Adderall and his textbooks.

He walked out of class the next day and was surprised to see he had a couple texts from his dad. Considering his dad very _rarely_ bothers to text him, he figured this was pretty important.

**Papa Sheriff (11:55 am)** : Hey kiddo, how about you stop by for a late lunch today? We haven’t seen you since Hawaii, and Cora wants to hang out. Melissa and I are both off, we’d really like to see you.

**Papa Sheriff (12:01 pm)** : We’ll be expecting you in around 1.  

Stiles snorted. He knew that was a not so subtle hint that they were going to talk about what had gone down at the wedding, and he figured he couldn’t put it off forever. He texted back an affirmative and headed home to shower. He just _knew_ Melissa would say something if he showed up scruffy and unwashed.

Less than an hour later he was sitting in his old living room with his dad. He had gotten there a little early, and apparently Cora and Melissa were doing some last minute grocery shopping for some Girl Scout event Cora had later that weekend. Lucky for _him_ that means he gets some one on one time with his dad.

He hadn’t even been sitting down for an entire minute when, “So, son, when exactly were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?”

_Well, fuck._ There’s no way his dad was gonna approve of what had happened at the bachelor party if he and Derek weren’t in a relationship. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Well, dad, that’s probably because I don’t _have_ a boyfriend?”

“Well, why the hell not, son?” Uhm, what?

“Uhm, what?”

“Look, kid, I’m not blind. Nor am I stupid. I saw how that Hale kid was looked at you the entire wedding and the way you looked at him during the reception.” Wait, _what_? The way Derek looked at him?

“Wait, dad--”

But he just kept talking, “Not to mention the activities you two were up to the night before.”

God, Stiles could _feel_ the blush on his cheeks in that moment.

“Wait, dad, what are you talking about? The...way we were looking at each other? How were we looking at each other?”

The Sheriff just looked at him with an exasperated expression on his face. “You mean to tell me you and Derek _aren’t_ in a relationship right now?”

“ _No_  dad. You would’ve known about it if I were seriously dating someone!”

“Well, then you two boys are the biggest pair of idiots I’ve ever seen.”

Stiles spluttered, “Wha-- hey! Uncalled for!”

“Stiles, you listen to me very carefully. Given the fact that you’re a hell of a lot like me, I know you pretty goddamn well, perhaps better than you know yourself. Given that I’ve spent the last fifteen years as Sheriff, you could also say that I’m pretty damn observant. Having said all of that, you and that boy looked like a pair of _lovesick idiots_ and one of you needs to go do _something_ about it.”

\--

Stiles caved that evening and called Derek shortly after he got back from visiting his dad. He didn’t know if Derek knew it was _him_ calling or if Derek was the type of person to screen calls from numbers he didn’t know, but Derek hadn’t picked up or called back. Stiles hadn’t tried again.

He decided that his plan to get hammered was still on so Scott and he had started drinking early, playing the [Mass Effect Drinking Game](http://sonicg33k.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/the-mass-effect-drinking-game/)  and got pretty hammered as the night went on. It was a little sad, but it was exactly what he needed. He didn’t want to go out, and he didn’t need anyone fussing over him like Lydia would have.

He woke up the next morning only slightly hungover to the insistent buzzing of his cell phone. Thank fucking God, was Saturday, after his severely crappy Thursday and his still supremely crappy Friday, all he wanted to do was stay under the covers with just his laptop and maybe some Doritos.

He opened one eye blearily to peek at who was calling him, hoping to God it was someone he can blow off easily and go back to sleep.

It was Jackson. If he’s calling Stiles while he’s on his honeymoon, this is probably pretty damn important so the fucker will probably just keep calling until Stiles picks up.

Fuck.

“Whaddaya want Jackass? It’s too fucking early right now. Why aren’t you and Danny off doing the horizontal tango right now?”

Jackson snorted, “Seems as though I’ve tired him out.”

“Oh, fuck Jackson, _why_. Don’t ever tell me things ever again.” He rolled over onto his side, tucking his cell phone in between his pillow and his ear so he didn’t actually have to hold onto it and reaches blindly for a glass of water. He squints his eyes open and sees an unopened bottle of water and two aspirin sitting on his bedside table. There’s no way Scott was that considerate so Stiles guessed that Allison had come over at some point. He hoped it was after he fell asleep though, because he didn’t _think_ he’d had enough to drink that he’d forget that. He grabs the bottle, foregoing the aspirin for now, figuring this definitely isn’t the worst he’s felt after a night of drinking, so he should refrain.

“Works for me, Stilinski. How about _you_ tell _me_ things?”

Stiles groaned. He had been hoping Danny wouldn’t mention the events of the bachelor party to Jackson this soon. He’d figured he had at least until the guys got back from the honeymoon to have to put up with Jackson’s teasing. Especially so soon after what had happened on Thursday, for Jackson to bring it up now would just feel like rubbing salt in a wound.

“Tell you what things exactly? Shouldn’t you and Danny have things to tell? And _please_ , _God_ , of the tourist variety, not the honeymoon bits. I’m staying far, far away from that.”

“Well, I got an email last night.”

“Okay...so? I get emails all the fucking time Jackson, do you have a point?”

“It was from Greenberg.”

Oh. Well, now at least this phone call was starting to make some sense. “Well, uh, what did it say?”

“Fuck you.”

“Seriously Jackson, if you called to talk about the email you could atleast tell me what it said.”

“That _is_ what it said, dumbass. It said ‘fuck you’. I swear to God, the idiot hasn’t matured one bit since high school.”

Huh. “Well, that was very...taciturn of him.”

“No shit, Stilinski. What the hell happened there?”

Fuck. He can’t exactly go into this without going into what happened at the bachelor party and he so doesn’t want to do that.

“I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore? Two days ago...at the shop?"

“Because of one hook-up with Derek? God, Stiles I thought that would’ve gotten him out of your system, not that you’d fucking fixate on it!”

“Wait, what the fuck, you _know_ about that?”

Jackson scoffed, “Of _course_ I know about that. Danny and I were texting while you were having your little meltdown in his room before the wedding. Pretty much the minute _he_ found out, _I_ found out.”

He should’ve figured. Danny and Jackson had never kept anything from each other, even before they were dating.

“Yes, okay, it was because of that. It wasn’t fair to Brian _especially_ after he showed up just as I was thinking how much I wanted _Derek_ to be walking through the coffee shop door. I can’t be the guy trying to be committed to a guy but thinking about someone else, okay? I saw how much it fucked Danny up back in high school.”

“Okay, Stiles, while that is _commendable_ , what are you going to do next? Are you planning on talking to Derek?”

“So that’s the other thing. Derek _may_ have walked in on what possibly sounded like a break-up speech by me to Brian, and he kinda stormed out after that? I don’t really know what he heard, or what exactly he’s thinking. I mean, I’m assuming he thinks I cheated on Brian, which I _did not_ because we were never exclusive. We went on like three dates and the only time we kissed was that first night in the club.”

He heard Jackson inhale sharply and then he started speaking really quickly like he wanted to get what he had to say out in as little time as possible. “Okay, Stiles, listen to me really carefully. This is so not my place, but I think you need to know this. Derek’s family and mine have been friends for a really long time, our grandparents knew each other in college and our parents grew up together and used to be really good friends.”

“Used to be?”

“That’s a different story. The point is that I know a little bit about Derek’s past relationships, and they haven’t exactly been the best.”

“Okay, so he has baggage. We all have that.”

“Stiles, this guy doesn’t have baggage, he’s got like an entire moving truck full of crap from his past.”

“Okay, so some guy cheated on him?”

“Some _girl_ not only cheated on him, but did it for years and he apparently had no clue. He even got to the point where he was going to propose, I think, and she basically threw the proposal in his face and mocked him about thinking that this was a real and committed relationship.”

“What the _fuck_ , Jackson? Who even does that?”

“I’m not sure it’s my place to say. This is something you probably need to get from _him_ if you ever get to that point. It was years ago, but I can’t imagine ever truly getting over something like that.”

Stiles felt like crying. “Well, now if he thinks _I’m_ a cheater and if it’s such a sensitive subject for him, how am I _ever_ going to get to that point Jacks?”

“I’m not sure, Stiles. I guess you have to figure out how hard you’re willing to fight for this and wear him down somehow. I swear, if _anyone_ is capable of this, it’s you. If you really want it, that is.”

He did. He wanted everything he’d told Danny in Hawaii. He wanted cuddles on the couch and nights in sharing Chinese food and watching bad movies and working on the crossword in bed on Sunday mornings. It was the first time in his life he’d ever felt actually committed to someone and they weren’t even in a relationship.

“I want it Jackson. I do. I want everything about him.”

“I’d give him a little time to think things through. I got a text from Lydia earlier saying that _Erica_ was driving her crazy ‘cause Derek was driving Erica crazy and the timing sounds like it was right after Derek walked in on you and Brian. And I don’t know if this is a stretch, and I hope for your sake it’s not, but it _sounds_ to me like he’s as bummed about this whole situation as you are.”

Stiles shot straight up out of bed then, and winced when the movement resulted in a throbbing sensation in his temples. “Wait, Jackson, are you fucking serious?” Despite the pain in his head, he felt something that felt a lot like _hope_ curling inside of him. “Jackson, _please_ tell me you’re serious right now.”

“Stiles, I wouldn’t mess around about this.”

Yup, _hope_ and excitement and anxiety and trepidation and fear and a little bit of nausea. He was feeling all of it. Although, he didn’t know which bits of it to attribute to the hangover.

“Wait, so what do I _do_?” He couldn’t believe he was talking to Jackson of all people about relationships right now.

Then again, Jackson _was_ on his fucking _honeymoon_ right now with one of the nicest, sweetest guys in the _world_ so he obviously had done _something_ right in the romance department.

“Honestly, I’d give him some time. Give him some time to think things through, and maybe just wait until the weekend is over? You know where the guy lives, maybe you could get Erica and Lydia to help you plan something?”

“Okay. Okay, yeah, I can do that. Give him time. Right. No problem.”

“Stiles. If there’s anything I can say right now given my own chaotic relationship history, everything works out like it’s supposed to, if you put in the time and effort and just talk things through. I’m guessing Lydia _and_ Erica _and_ Danny _and_ even _Scott_ would probably say the same. I’m also pretty damn sure it’s about time for _your_ happily ever after; you’ve just gotta let it happen.”

Well, shit. “Aww, Jackson, you’re gonna make me cry with mushy talk like that.”

“Shut up, idiot. Way to ruin a good moment.”

“I love you Jackson.” He said then, perfectly seriously. “Thanks for calling. This is...quite possibly _exactly_ what I needed.” See, he could be mushy too.

“Love you too, doofus. Now that I have spent a sufficient time helping the less fortunate, I have a _husband_ to get back too. Later, dork.”

Stiles couldn’t even mock Jackson after hearing the affection in his voice after he called Danny his husband. Not when that was _all he fucking wanted_. It was his turn for a happily fucking after, goddammit.

“Bye Jacks. Have fun! See you in a couple weeks.”

“Call me Monday, Stilinski. I don’t care what time it is. I’ll be pissed if you don’t.”

\--

He managed to sleep for another couple hours and when he woke up he sees he has a couple texts waiting for him. They were from Lydia and were sent around the time he had finished talking to Jackson and hoped that they contain some sort of good news.

**Ginger Queen (10:07 am):** Jackson called me. Don’t do anything. Not yet.

**Ginger Queen (10:40 am)** : Derek is the one who should make the first move.

**Ginger Queen (10:50 am)** : I have a feeling he will, too. I have very reliable resources.

He was assuming the ‘very reliable resources’ refers to Erica, and hoped to God Lydia (and Erica) were right. He was not even going to go near replying to those messages, however. He had a feeling that the less he knew right now, the better.

Furthermore, he’d realized that Lydia only ever gives exactly the amount of information _she_ wants to and that pestering her is not gonna do him any favors.

Not to mention, he’d learned through years and years and years of being around Lydia that she’s right nearly _all the time_ and her plans _always_ work and if he’s not involved in one, he should just sit back and count his blessings.

He spent the rest of his weekend mostly by himself or with Scott and Allison. He doesn’t really hear from Lydia or Jackson for the rest of it, and tried to keep from wondering obsessively what they were up to. If they were even up to anything. That would concern him. _Fuck_.

\--

He’s baking with Allison on Monday morning; he got a little delayed this morning due to the pouring rain that’s a pathetic mirror of his bleak love life right now and so it’s just after 7. They don’t really get many customers when it rains, considering there aren’t any parking lots nearby and apparently all the spoiled people who live in California basically lose all normal functionality when it rains. It’s like they don’t know what an umbrella is.

Anyways, Allison is telling him how she had the pleasure of coming over on Friday to Stiles and Scott sprawled on the couch in boxers and matching Team Peeta shirts (which honestly he does not remember putting on, what did they even do Friday night?) while they carefully bring the sweets out from the back to replenish the supply in the display case. He’s pretty sure he’s blushing, because even though it’s _Allison_ he’s always felt strange about anyone besides Scott, Jackson or his dad seeing him in just his boxers.

They’re just finishing putting everything away when Chris asks Stiles to take over in front so he can leave and Allison stacks all the trays and takes them into the back.

There hasn’t been a new customer in the shop for about ten minutes and the ones sitting on the couches don’t look like they’re going to move any time soon, so Stiles is just leaning against the counter, eyes closed, willing his blush to fade when he hears the door open.

He looks up and it’s _Derek_.

Not only that, but it’s _soaking wet_ Derek, with his thick hair plastered to his head and literal water droplets on his stubble. The apples of his cheeks are pink and he’s shivering a little bit and fucking hell, this may as well be Stiles’s own personal Kryptonite. He wants to take Derek by the hand, wrap him in a blanket and just generally fuss over him for _hours_.

Derek looks around quickly, but _too fucking soon_ his intense gaze is right back on Stiles. He’s pretty sure his blush is back in full force and his mouth is gaping open, and he doesn’t know what to _do_. Does he say something? Does he make Derek’s drink order?

_What the fuck is he supposed to do right now?_

“Hey, Stiles, can we, uh, talk?”

God, Stiles is _so_ fucked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to my beta/cheerleaders [breeisonfire](http://archiveofourown.org/users/breeisonfire/pseuds/breeisonfire), [laynacakes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/laynacakes/pseuds/laynacakes), [crazykookie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/crazykookie/pseuds/crazykookie). I truly don't know where I'd be without them. 
> 
> ALSO, come hang out with me on [tumblr](http://whatthehale27.tumblr.com)!!! I'd love ideas for the story as well as just more Teen Wolf blogs to follow!  
> <3 Hugs&Kisses


	17. In Which The Sheriff is Probably My Favorite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek POV. Picks up after his and Isaac's talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 500 subscriptions; Jesus Christ, THANK YOU!

_“Derek, I’m serious. Stiles would not do that. I don’t know what you saw or what you think you saw, but you should really just go talk to Stiles if you like him. I know the guy pretty well, and I know that if he made out with you at Danny’s wedding then he is into you. He’s not the type to sleep around.”_

Derek thought about what Isaac said over and over again in the days that followed that particular conversation. It’s pretty possible that he may have been a little too quick to jump to a conclusion where Stiles was concerned.

It’s just that Kate had fucked him up really bad, and he’d been _crazy_ about her. He couldn’t ever imagine feeling that deeply about someone ever again.

Until, of course, Stiles.

He could _easily_ see himself being just as crazy about Stiles as he’d been about Kate, perhaps even _more_ crazy and that scares him. Because he can _not_ set himself up for heartbreak again. He can’t. He won’t.

He shouldn’t have to.

His history with Kate is also probably why he had been so quick to assume the worst about Stiles. It was just easier than actually admitting that he cared, that there was something there, that they could actually have a chance at being together.

It was probably also why he’d refrained from asking Stiles out before. If he didn’t have Stiles to begin with, he couldn’t _lose_ Stiles.

But now, there’s possibility. There’s the possibility that he was _wrong_ , there’s a possibility that Stiles likes him back, there is a definite possibility that they could be something amazing. Apparently even Isaac thought so. If Erica’s pointed and not-so-veiled comments were any indication, even she thought that him and Stiles being together was _way_ overdue. _He’s_ been the only one with any hang ups over this and obviously, it was time he got over them.

“Hey baby bro.” He looks up from where he’s been mindlessly staring at the top of his (empty) desk to see Laura enter his office and slump down on one his chairs. “No coffee shop today?”

Derek grimaces. Of course she’d notice. He’d always gone to the shop on Fridays lately because that was the one day he knew for sure that Stiles wasn’t working in the morning.

Today, he was just being paranoid. What if it was the one Friday Stiles happened to go to the shop? No matter what Isaac said, he just wasn’t ready to see Stiles. Not yet.

God he was pathetic.

He just shrugged to Laura though, and made kind of a dismissive face. “Wasn’t really feeling it.”

“Okay, well in the interest of having an actual conversation, I’m gonna let that go.”

He supposed he should be pleased. It’s not like Laura to refrain from commenting on his personal life.

“So what do you wanna talk about then Lo?”

“Weeeell, Isaac told me he stopped by yesterday? I just wanted to--”

“Look Laura, seriously. it’s fine. I’ve kind of been assuming this was going to happen sooner or later for _years_ okay? That’s what I told Isaac, and now I’m telling you. Don’t worry about it.”

She looks at him skeptically, and continues to frown, so he assumes his face isn’t really doing what he wants it to. That being, showing complete support for Laura and her choice of boyfriend.

Romantic interest? Paramore? Ugh, he really shouldn’t be thinking too hard about this.

For the record, he truly _is_ okay with his sister dating Isaac. He is. Part of him knows this would have happened eventually and the other part that’s hesitant about this relationship resolves once he sees how goddamn _happy_ both Isaac and Laura are right now. Yes he _could_ be the asshole that bitches about how he wasn’t told right away, but he honestly doesn't want to. Not when his sister looks happier than he’s seen her in years. It just...doesn’t seem all that important.

He doesn’t really know how to actually go ahead and _tell_ her this so he gets up out of his chair to make his way over to where she’s sitting on his guest chairs and biting her lips as she fiddles with the hem of her skirt.

He drops a kiss on her forehead and sits down next to her, smacking his knees into hers lightly as he sits.  “Seriously, Lo. I’m over it. You act younger than you are and he has always seemed too mature for his age. You guys are probably actually perfect for each other.”

Laura launches out of her seat then and throws her arms around Derek’s neck tightly, nearly dislodging himself from the chair he’s sitting in in the process. He stood up, taking her with him, and just managed to get balanced as the chair he was sitting on toppled over backwards.

“I love you Der-bear.”

“I love you to Lo. I would, however, love you more if you’d ditch that nickname.”

“Never gonna happen!”

He rolls his eyes at her as he let’s go of her and walks back towards his chair. Laura rights the chair that fell and then sits on it, puts her chin on her hands and leans her elbows on Derek’s desk. The uncertain look is gone from her eyes, and he’s a little afraid of the mischievous glint that’s replaced it.

“So, baby bro, tell me about Stiles!”

“There’s nothing to tell, Laura.”

“Well, of course there is. There’s always something to tell. Especially when you and him are all Isaac and Erica seem to be able to talk about these days. Ever since Hawaii, actually. So, baby bro, _spill_.”

Derek puts his head in his hands then and his elbows on the table, but instead of Laura’s front-facing eager beaver look, his face is angled towards the table with the palms of his hands covering his eyes.

“Yes, okay, Jesus. We made out a little in Hawaii, and I was going to talk to him about a date possibly but then I walked in on him with another guy and it _looked_ like a date, but according to Isaac he doesn’t have a boyfriend so….I don’t know. I don’t know what to do anymore.” His voice is muffled, but he’s pretty sure the idea gets across adequately.

“I do! Go ask him on that date!”

He lifts his head to look at her somewhat incredulously. “But Laura...What if Isaac is mistaken?”

“I very much doubt Isaac is mistaken. But if it makes you feel better, first just _ask him_ if he has boyfriend. When he says he doesn’t, _then_ ask him on a date. Jesus, Derek it's really very simple.”

“But what if he _does_  have one?”

“Then he’s not the guy either you or Isaac think he is and it’s _his_ loss.”

Derek grunts at that; if Stiles has a boyfriend, he _definitely_ isn’t who Derek thought he was. He nods slowly.

“Also, Derek, but what if he _doesn’t_?”

He grimaces at that too. Laura’s been telling him for years (ever since a couple months after Kate) that he’s been too afraid to put himself out there. He’s had exactly two dates in the years since, and both were decent enough, but he’d never followed through with either person. With Stiles, like he said, he could see himself falling hard and fast, and he doesn’t know how he feels about that.

Scratch that, he _totally_ knows. It _terrifies_ him.

But how can he not take a chance? Especially when _everyone_ around him seems convinced he needs to.

“Well, if he doesn’t,” he echoes, “I definitely plan on doing something about it.”

Laura grins at him, “It’s about time!”

\--

The next day is Saturday, so as per usual, Derek is headed out to the preserve to lead a nature hike. He scans the roster he’s been handed, and his eyes widen when he sees John Stilinski is one of the hikers in his trail group. He can’t imagine that there are many Stilinskis in the area, so he resigns himself to an extremely _awkward_ morning.

He’d started to relax about thirty minutes into the hike after it seems like the Sheriff doesn’t plan on actually coming up to him, but now, ten minutes later, the entire group is cooing at a group of baby deer when he sees the Sheriff headed towards him in the corner of his eye.

He looks kind of sheepish, and Derek flashes back to the last time he saw the Sheriff--at the fucking bachelor party right when Derek _had been about to stick his hands down Stiles’s pants_. God, _fuck_ , this is going to be terrible. He can already feel the blush blooming on his cheeks and looks frantically around to see if there’s someone that needs help with something.  _Anything._

There isn’t.

“So, Hale, what _exactly_ are your intentions with my son?”

He whips around to see John standing _right_ behind him and gapes. How the fuck is he even supposed to answer that question. Jesus, his hands are all clammy and he wonders how much trouble he’ll get into with his supervisor if he just _runs_.

He’s gazing around frantically, wondering if there’s _any possible way_ he can remove himself from this situation when the Sheriff bursts out laughing.

He claps one hand on Derek’s shoulder and brings the other up to his mouth, trying to stop his laughter.

“Jesus, son, it looked like you were about to have an aneurysm. Calm down. I just want to know what’s going on and that was too easy to pass up.”

He falters a little, “Well, sir, I, uh. Uhm, well we are-- well, I don’t _know_ exactly?” Well, now that he’s managed to make himself sound like a complete idiot, it can only be uphill from here.

He hopes.

“Call me John, son.” There it is again, that ‘son’. Derek can’t remember the last time someone called him son, can’t really the last time he was with his own father, _it’s been so damn long_. The endearment is throwing him off almost more than this conversation is. 

There's also no way he can call the  _Sheriff_ John. He feels uncomfortable even thinking it.

“Right, sir, okay.” Nope. He’s still an idiot. The Sheriff is still chuckling a little, but has sort of a fond look on his face. It must be the look he adopts when he knows not to freak out little children.

Which is basically what Derek feels like right now.

He feels like a child who’s just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar by an adult. However, instead of an adult, it’s the _Sheriff_ and instead of a cookie jar it's _Stiles_. God, and the Sheriff has probably (definitely?) talked to Stiles by now so he knows they aren’t _together_ which means he knows that they basically one night stand-ed it. Which probably means the Sheriff doesn’t think too much of him.

“Look s-Derek,” he’s guessing Sheriff had picked up on his discomfort with the word son, and, frankly, it’s a relief not to hear it anymore, “I’ve basically made it my life’s work to be observant. While you and Stiles were pretty damn obvious the night of the party, things were a lot more understated the next day. Apparently my son didn’t pick up on it, so I’m just going to assume you hadn’t either. I told _him_ that he needed to make a move, and I kind of want to ask you to maybe just be receptive to it?”

Derek takes a deep breath. “Does Stiles have a boyfriend?”

John is looks flabbergasted now. “Hell, until yesterday I thought _you_ were his boyfriend. There’s no one else in his life that I’m aware of. If there were I’m sure he would have brought it up yesterday. Look, kid, I know it’s absolutely cheating for me to play up my own son, but Stiles is a good kid. He can be a bit of a terror, but he’s loyal to a _fault_ , and for all he babbles, he’s actually a terribly good listener and continually does as much as he possibly can for the people around him.”

Stiles sounds just about as fucking far from Kate as is possible. He knew when he was dating her that she’d had her faults, but she’d always seemed so regal in the way she brushed things off and so flippant in her negativity that he hadn’t ever really noticed it till the very end. Never noticed how they only ever talked about _her_ , never noticed how dismissive she was of his family, never noticed how cruel she could be to other people. 

In reality, she was just a cold hearted _sociopath_ and if the raves Stiles’s father (and Isaac) made about him were true, Stiles could not be anything but her polar opposite.

In other word, Stiles is probably not only exactly what he _wants_ , but also exactly what he _needs_. And _that_ may just be the most reassuring fact of all.

Well, that settles that.

“For the record, sir, we aren’t boyfriends. He used to date a friend of mine, so I hesitated asking him out. When we were in Hawaii I thought maybe I wanted to start something. I’m kind of still thinking that.”

The sheriff smiles and claps him on the shoulder again, and slowly makes his way over to the rest of the group, calling over his shoulder as he goes, “I’ll expect you for dinner sometime, Derek!”

That probably went about as well as it could have.

\--

It’s Sunday night and Derek is a wreck. He’d gotten home after his chat with the Sheriff only to see Erica, Laura, _and_ Isaac in the living room drinking beers and just hanging out. They’d taken one look at his face and immediately ordered him to spill.

He told them about how, at least according to the Sheriff, Stiles _wasn’t_ in a relationship (to which Isaac smiled smugly) and that according to everyone around him, it sure as hell seemed like Stiles was just as into him as he was into Stiles.

Erica and Laura had cheered emphatically and raced away to Derek’s room, not doubt to pick out some stupid outfit he probably wouldn’t end up wearing. Isaac just continued grinning smugly, and handed him a beer.

Now, however, it’s Sunday, Derek is home alone and back to freaking out. They’d decided that he should go into the coffee shop the next day after rush hour, when he knew they’d be slow and just _talk_ to Stiles.

But.

What _exactly_ is he supposed to say to Stiles? How is he supposed to even explain his stupid hot and cold behavior? God if he was Stiles he’d probably be so put off right now. To Stiles, Derek is probably just a crazy, bipolar person who brings everyone around him into his stupid roller-coaster of a life.

But, then he thinks back to those first few weeks, before he’d found out about Isaac and Stiles (which, ugh, he should really refrain thinking about--it gives him all sorts of pictures in his head that he just doesn’t need). Stiles and he had clicked so easily and quickly, like they’d been friends for years instead of just having met. Despite his anxiety, he just _knows_ they could get back to that point.

They have to.

\--

Monday morning dawns quickly and _rainy_. He doesn’t have an umbrella, and he’s pretty sure his rain jacket is at Laura’s right now. He tosses and turns in bed for a bit, weighing his options, before jumping up and going through a quick series of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and burpees. Once he’s sufficiently sore, he jumps into a scalding, yet soothing shower and once he’s done, tries to figure out what he should wear.

He sees his tightest pair of jeans and a henley laid out for him, presumably by Erica. He puts on the henley, but sure as hell isn’t going to wear his tightest jeans in this rain. He needs something he can jog in. Somewhat. The closest parking lot is still about a five minute brisk walk from the coffee shop, so no matter what he’s going to get a little soaked.

He wastes some more time making breakfast, doing the crossword and idly going through his fridge and pantry, noting that he needs to make a grocery run now that Erica is moving out and won’t be keeping their kitchen stocked.

Once he’s finished breakfast and washed his plate, he looks at his watch and is irritated to see its not even seven yet. If he leaves now he’ll get to the shop just after seven, which is basically the beginning of their heaviest traffic. He stares out at the rain, though, and thinks that there’s a chance that because of it, they may not be as busy as they normally are.

Fuck it, he’s going.

By the time he’s pulled into the lot, and steeling himself to jog through the rain, he can’t help but think it’s raining harder than it was before.

He has no idea what kind of omen that is, but finally decides that it’s a good thing. If one thing living with Erica (and her movies) have taught him, it’s that rain always increases sexual tension. 

He bangs his head against the steering wheel then, thanking all the Gods in the world that Erica and Laura will never, _ever_ know that _that_ particular thought went through his head and exits his car.

It takes him about three minutes to jog to the coffee shop entrance, not going at full speed because he doesn’t want to (god forbid) trip and prolong this any longer.

He stops just outside the door, glad that there’s an awning there he can stand under and not get wet. He looks first towards the tables and couches and notes that, yes, there are a couple people but not too many. He then shifts his gaze towards the counter, and sees no one in line.

Behind the counter is Stiles, eyes closed and cheeks flushed. He looks innocent, _tired_ , and still so, so gorgeous.

He blows out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and goes inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me, the Sterek is coming!  
> Allison POV next.


	18. In Which Allison Shamelessly Eavesdrops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically what it says in the chapter title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how this happened, but Jackson somehow became my favorite character in this entire story. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Important notes at the end; please read!

Allison walks into the back room, still giggling a little at Stiles’s face after that little boxers story. She stares at the huge pile of trays in the sink and figures she’ll do them later. Or Stiles will, if he gets bored enough. Or her dad will. Or Scott.

Either way, she’s probably not going to have to end up doing the dishes. They’re actually the worst chore possible.

She grins and heads back towards the main room, immediately feeling pleased by her decision when she walks in to see Derek soaking wet, and Stiles staring at him in shock, mouth open and gaping and the blush back in full force on his cheeks.

Derek looks around a little, and sees her staring at him and the blush on his face deepens as he turns back to Stiles.

Stiles looks like he’s searching around for something to do, his hands are edging towards the large cups. _Is he about to make Derek’s drink order?_

She can’t decide whether to intervene or let this (quite frankly, amusing as _hell_ ) show continue for a bit longer.

“Hey Stiles, uh, can we talk?” AH! Derek made the first move. She wants to applaud or something.

Instead she texts Lydia. And Scott and Danny and Isaac. Hopefully they all have group messaging enabled on their phones and everyone can see everyone else’s texts.

 **From Allison (7:17 am):** _You GUYS. Derek’s here right now. In the coffee shop. TO TALK TO STILES._

She looks up to see Derek _still_ looking at Stiles expectantly, and she realizes he hasn’t answered Derek’s question yet. Derek is looking more and more heartbroken and seems to be glancing at the door in between his sweeps of the room and staring at Stiles imploringly.

 **From Lydia (7:18 am):** _He did it? Thank god. I was afraid there was going to be another 6 months of this bullshit._

 **From Danny (7:19 am):** _Not gonna lie, Jackson is kinda freaking out right now. He’s a little upset he’s not a part of this thread. Though I don’t think he could contain his excitement enough to text right now._

 **From Allison (7:19 am):** _They’re so hopeless I swear to god. But so cute at the same time. Tell Jackson I did it that way on purpose. He’ll handle this better if you’re narrating. I don’t want incoherent texts._

She snorts and looks up, Derek is moving towards the door, to _leave_ , because apparently, _Stiles still hasn’t said anything_ , _the idiot_.

“Wait. No. I mean, yes. Yes, Derek. Talk. I can do that!”

She breathes a sigh of relief. She didn’t think Derek would take it well if she had butted in at that moment.

Derek turns around then and the look on his face is so _hopeful_ that Allison just wants to squeal out loud. Oh god, these two idiots are gonna be _perfect_ together.

 **From Allison (7:21 am):** _DEREK IS THE CUTEST!_

 **From Scott (7:22 am):** _:(:(:(_

 **From Allison (7:22 am):** _Not as cute as you boo._

They’re staring at each other again. She rolls her eyes. It’s time for her move.

“Boys?” They both whip around to look at her like they’d forgotten she was there. She represses the urge to squeal _again_. Stiles’s mouth is still open and his eyes are wide and he’s playing with the hem of his shirt. Derek looks like he doesn’t quite know what to do, his hands are halfway to his head, like he wants desperately to run them through his soaking wet hair. The apples of his cheeks and the tips of his ears are a matching shade of red and, _does he have rain drops in his stubble_? “Stiles, how about you take Derek to the back room and give him a towel? You two can talk and I’ll manage things out here.”

Stiles stares at her like that is either the best or worst idea she could have ever had.

“Alli, you-you sure? Rush is gonna start soon.”

She rolls her eyes, “Not for another hour or so, Stiles. Just don’t take that long. Plus, we can’t let Derek here catch pneumonia can we?”

She moves over, closer to where Derek is and gestures towards the back door.

“Go on, it’s fine.”

Stiles gives her a look, probably one that says _don’t you dare eavesdrop_ or something of that sort which, of _course_ , she is going to blatantly ignore. Like she could leave it up to them to have a proper conversation.

 **From Lydia (7:24 am):** _Jesus. Can we keep this about Stiles please?_

 **From Isaac (7:25 am):** _What’s happening now? I have class at 8; they better resolve this before then._

 **From Allison (7:27 am):** _Derek showed up SOAKING WET asking if they could talk. God, I wish you could have seen Stiles’s face. It was like all his dreams and nightmares were coming true at the same time. I shooed them to the back room saying they could talk while Stiles helped him dry off._

 **From Danny (7:29 am):** _I can actually SEE the exclamation points in Jackson’s eyes right now. Jeez._

 **From Lydia (7:29 am):** _Yay go Allison! You’re listening in on them right?_

Allison has already put up the sign on the door that says ‘Sorry, be back later’. There’s no way there’s gonna be a rush on a rainy day like today, and _nothing_ is gonna stop her from listening in on this conversation.

She moves over to where the double doors to the back room are, and is pleased that they’re lifted up from the floor enough that she can hear everything that is happening inside.

 **From Allison (7:31 am):** _Of course I am. I even closed the shop for a bit._

 **From Scott (7:31 am):** _Allison you have to! I never know what happens first. Cora teased me for days last time._

 **From Isaac (7:32 am):** _You closed the shop? God, wait till I tell Laura about this._

It sounds like Stiles is running around the kitchen frantically, searching for something to help Derek dry off with while muttering to himself. She has no idea if Derek can make out the words but they’re definitely too low for her to understand.

“Hey, Stiles, don’t worry about it, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

“ _Yeah_ , you are.” Well, _that_ one she heard. Which meant Derek did too. _Typical Stiles_. “I mean, uhh, oh, LOOK, found one! Here.”

She hears faint thump and assumes that Stiles threw the towel at Derek and it kind of hit him before he caught it.

 **From Allison (7:33 am):** _Jeez, how has Stiles ever been in a successful relationship? He’s actually having a hard time acting like a human right now._

 **From Lydia (7:34 am):** _I think we’ve ALL wondered that. On several occasions._

 **From Scott (7:34 am):**   _Hey! Allison, thats not fair. He just gets really nervous!_

 **From Isaac (7:35 am):** _It’s because Stiles’s fumbling is endearing. And kind of flattering. I know I always thought so._

 **From Danny (7:36 am):** _Don’t tell Jackson, but I agree with Isaac._

 **From Danny (7:37 am):** _Jackson saw the previous texts. He would like you to know he agrees with Lydia._

Allison can hear faint patting sounds before they’re drowned out by the tap turning on. Stiles is washing the trays! She _knew_ she wouldn’t have to do those.

But, God, _really Stiles_?

 **From Allison (7:39 am):**   _Now Stiles is washing trays, the idiot. I want to go in there and stop him but ugh. Derek should just grab him and kiss him or something._

 **From Lydia (7:40 am):** _Of course he is. He needs to tell Derek to take off his wet clothes. And then jump him. SOMETHING._

 **From Scott (7:41 am):** _God, Lydia that is NOT a picture I need in my head. He’s my BROTHER. Please. Stop._

“So what did you want to talk about?” Allison grins. _Finally_. Time for the good stuff. _Thank you Stiles_!

“Well, a couple things actually.”

“Oookay. Like what?” The tap is still running but it doesn’t sound like Stiles is actually washing dishes. She wishes she could see their faces right now. Dammit, why don’t they have cameras in there?

 **From Danny (7:43 am):** _Regardless of the picture it makes Scott, I’m pretty sure that’s the outcome we’re ALL hoping for._

 **From Isaac (7:44 am):** _What Danny said._

 **From Scott (7:44 am):** _Gross. I just woke up. I don’t need this shit right now._

She’s starts to write a message to just Scott, but stops when she hears Derek’s voice.

“Well, the things is, I don’t really know where to start.” The tap turns off then, and a couple trays bang into the sink. Uh oh, Stiles must be annoyed. She can hear some pacing back and forth and finally Stiles bursts out talking.

“Okay, well how about you answer a couple questions for me then, Derek? Think you can do that?”

Derek gulps, “Yes?” Allison isn’t sure if he meant that as a statement or a question but it definitely came out as the latter. She switches from the thread with just Scott to the group one.

 **From Allison (7:46 am):** _Stiles is annoyed. Derek sounds upset. I swear I’m not letting the two of them out until this is solved even if it takes ALL DAY. My dad can afford to lose the business._

 **From Lydia (7:47 am):** _Seriously Allison, you are my favorite right now. The only thing that’s stopping me from joining you right now is the fact that the two of them would probably run away if more of us showed up._

 **From Danny (7:48 am):** _Okay, to be perfectly honest, Stiles has a right to be annoyed. Derek is TERRIBLE at talking about things. The worst._

 **From Isaac (7:49 am):** _Yikes, harsh. In his defense Derek’s had really shitty past relationships. But, yes, he’s terrible at talking about things._

 **From Scott (7:50 am):** _Tell Stiles to call me when Derek leaves. I’m kind of still half asleep so just keep texting and I’ll read them all eventually._

“So wanna tell me exactly what you were thinking when you walked in on me and Brian last week? And why you left without saying anything? And why you didn’t _stop_ when I called out to you like EIGHT times?”

Oh shit. She doesn’t know _this_ part of the story.

 **From Allison (7:50 am):** _Wait. Guys. What happened last week? With Brian? I thought that was over._

“Right. That. Well, that’s kind of a long story.”

“I have time”

 **From Lydia (7:50 am):** _Misunderstanding._

 **From Danny (7:51 am):** _Technically Stiles was still dating Brian. Non-exclusively, though._

 **From Isaac (7:52 am):** _Oh that makes a lot of sense. Derek walked in on Stiles and some guy last Thursday when he went to talk to him about what they were. He thought Stiles had a boyfriend. I told him that he didn’t._

 **From Lydia (7:53 am):** _Like I said. Misunderstanding._

She looks up from her phone then to hear Derek try and sputter through an explanation.

“Well, yeah. Okay, so the thing is--I don’t really know what I was supposed to think when I saw...In the past I--shit.”

She can hear Stiles moving around, and all of a sudden he’s talking really quietly, earnestly and _fondly_. He must be really close to Derek.

“Look, Derek, just tell me. I promise it’s probably not what you’re thinking.”

She hears Derek blow out a breath. “I saw you with that guy? And you guys looked, I don’t know, _intimate_? And I thought, maybe, that you were dating? And I’ve had,” his voice gets kind of muffled here like Derek is covering his face with the towel, “bad experiences with that in the past.”

She hears another faint thumping noise and assumes that Stiles took the towel from Derek and dropped it on the floor.

“Oh.” _Really, Stiles? You can’t say any more than that?_  

 **From Isaac (7:53 am):** _So Stiles doesn’t have a boyfriend right? And didn’t have one when they were in Hawaii?_

 **From Danny (7:54 am):** _No. Definitely not. Stiles is firmly on the Derek train. Embarrassingly so._

 **From Isaac (7:54 am):** _:D knew it. Okay I’m heading into class now, but guys keep me posted._

 **From Allison (7:55 am):** _I think Stiles is officially speechless guys. This is a noteworthy moment._

“And then I talked to Isaac. And your dad, I guess? Though that one wasn’t my choice.”

She hears kind of a spluttering noise, and one that sounds almost like Stiles is choking, “WHAT?”

She peeks her head over the double doors and sees _Derek rubbing Stiles’s back_. They’re both facing each other so she can see their profiles, and neither of them are looking anywhere but at each other. Maybe she can get away with this?

 **From Lydia (7:55 am):** _Damn. I didn’t think that was possible._

 **From Danny (7:56 am):** _Jackson says it definitely is. There’s ways to make it happen.  Although we both agree that this is terribly amusing. It’s practically as good as One Tree Hill._

 **From Allison (7:57 am):** _GUYS THE SHERRIFF TALKED TO DEREK. And Derek told Stiles and he’s flipping out and DEREK IS RUBBING HIS BACK TO CALM HIM DOWN. This is happening guys. It has to_.

 **From Danny (7:57 am):** _!!!!! alskd_

 **From Danny (7:58 am):** _Sorry guys. That little brain fart was Jackson._

 **From Lydia (7:59 am):** _Seriously though, it’s about fucking TIME._

Derek looks like he’s about to say something, but Stiles manages to speak weakly, voice barely over a whisper, “You talked to my _dad_?”

Derek has stopped the movements on Stiles’s back but his hand is resting firmly on Stiles’s elbow. Stiles is still gripping the hem of his own shirt, but there’s not much space between the two guys.

Derek finally must get his thoughts straight because he pinches his eyes shut for a second and then talks really quickly, “Yes, but I talked to Isaac first. He said that he thought you and I would be perfect for each other and that I should go for it and that you didn’t have a boyfriend. He said that you wouldn’t have done what you did in Hawaii if you _did_ have one and I was hoping to God that was true.”

Stiles is staring at Derek and Derek is looking at where Stiles is playing with his shirt. Allison is staring at the boys, riveted. This is going to be so embarrassing for her if they notice her.  

Actually, she doesn’t really care.

“And then I talked to your dad.” Now _Stiles_ is the one to squeeze his eyes shut briefly. He looks upward, like he’s praying to the Gods that his dad didn’t embarrass him. Allison can’t help but agree with him. She _loves_ her dad and she _loves_ the Sheriff, but both of them aren’t exactly subtle. They call things as they see them and hold nothing back. It’s not hard to assume that the Sheriff might have said some things to Derek that Stiles might not be ready for him to know.

Stiles doesn’t actually say anything then but moves his hand from his shirt to Derek’s forearm. It’s the one Derek’s holding the elbow of and they’re _almost holding hands_.

 **From Allison (8:01 am):** _They’re holding hands. Kind of._

When it’s obvious Stiles isn’t going to say anything and is waiting for Derek to continue, he starts again, “He said, well,” Derek’s biting his lip now and Stiles is staring at him. How have they not kissed yet, the anticipation is _killing_ her.  “He said that he thought we were boyfriends?”

Well, yep. That sounds like something the Sheriff would do. Stiles kind of slumps over at that which just moves him an inch _closer_ to Derek and slaps the hand that Derek isn’t holding over his eyes. He’s still not talking.

 **From Scott (8:02 am):** _Yay, go Stiles!_

 **From Danny (8:03 am):** _Nope that’s not enough. Jackson says there’s still time to fuck this up._

 **From Lydia (8:04 am):** _Tell Jackson to bite his tongue. NOTHING MORE is going to go wrong. Also, Erica says hi. And that she is upset she isn’t in this conversation thread._

 **From Scott (8:05 am):** _Hi Erica!!_

 **From Allison (8:06 am):** _I DON’T HAVE ERICA’S NUMBER. WHY DON’T I HAVE ERICA’S NUMBER?_

“And he said some things about how we were looking at each other at the reception, and it was all true on my end, so I’m assuming it’s all true for you too. And if you don’t have a boyfriend that means that _we_ can start something. If you want to still. I know I’ve acted a little crazy and have been all hot and cold and I really don’t know what you’re thinking right now and it’s really freaking me ou--mph”

Allison whips her head up from her phone then, and is briefly bummed to see that Stiles did _not_ cover Derek’s mouth with his own. His _hand_ however is firmly clamped over Derek’s lips and his left hand is tangled with Derek’s right. She looks up just in time to see Derek bring his left hand up to Stiles’s hip. They’re nearly touching from thigh to chest. _Nearly_.

“Okay. My turn. Brian and I, we dated. _Briefly_. That day he showed up to the shop and when he walked in I remember hearing the bell ring and hoping it was _you_. And I knew I couldn’t keep dating him. Not when all I could think about was you and your stupid glasses and beautiful _smile_ and love for books and dorky TV shows and and all I ever want to do is sit cuddled up with you under a blanket and watch the _Harry Potter_ series. To conclude, Derek _yes_ I want this still. This is all I’ve wanted for _months_.”

 **From Allison (8:08 am):** _THE LOVE CONFESSIONS HAVE BEEN MADE BY BOTH PARTIES. SUCCESSFULLY._

She can feel her phone buzzing but can’t look right now, too engrossed in what Stiles and Derek are going to do next. Stiles has still got his hand covering Derek’s mouth and it looks like Derek has used his hand on Stiles’s waist to pull them even closer together. He’s raising his eyebrows at Stiles like he’s trying to tell him something though.

“Oh right, yeah. You can talk now.” Stiles takes his hand off of Derek’s mouth and drops it on his shoulder.

“Don’t wanna talk.” Derek wraps his arm around Stiles’s waist completely then and brings his head down to place a soft, _chaste_ kiss on Stiles’s lips. It’s terribly sweet and Allison feels a tear come to her eye.

Stiles grabs Derek around the neck then and brings his mouth back down for a longer, deeper, kiss. Allison cheers in her head and then moves back to her phone, not wanting to intrude on the more intimate moment. They better not start having sex where they _bake_.

She reads the texts she missed first.

 **From Scott (8:09 am):** _!!!!!! Oh my god!!! Wait till I tell Papa Sheriff and Cora! And mom! They’re gonna FREAK!_

 **From Lydia (8:09 am):** _I’m the one that had to listen to months of Stiles’s bitching and YOU get to be there for this moment? Un-fucking-fair._

 **From Danny (8:10 am):** _Jackson is actually jumping on the hotel room bed. It’s like Christmas morning. Tell Stiles congrats and punch him on the shoulder for me._

 **From Lydia (8:10 am):** _Erica would like me to add that SHE had to be there for all of Derek’s pity parties so she hates you too right now._

 **From Danny (8:11 am):** _Uhm excuuuuse me, who had to deal with a Stiles meltdown the MORNING OF THEIR WEDDING?_

 **From Allison (8:13 am):** _GUYS. GUYS THEY’RE KISSING. None of the rest of it officially matters anymore._

 **From Lydia (8:14 am):** _Easy for you to say._

 **From Danny (8:14 am):** _Allison, I think the only person who agrees with you right now is Jackson._

 **From Scott (8:15 am):** _Allison, are you seriously watching them make out right now? Gross_

 **From Lydia (8:16 am):** _Erica says “I hope so. That must be a hot picture.” I on the other hand am questioning my choice in girlfriend and am firmly with Scott._

“But, wait, Derek.” She looks up. They’re no longer kissing and Stiles is back to looking a little upset. No. No Stiles, _stop that_. Nothing is wrong anymore.

Derek’s hands are in Stiles’s hair now, curled behind his head, and scratching softly. Stiles’s looks like he wants to lean back into him but is forcing himself to re-establish some space between the. _Nononono_.

 **From Allison (8:18 am):** _Oh no._

“Stiles, what’s wrong?” 

 **From Lydia (8:19 am):** _What!?_

 **From Danny (8:19 am):** _Shit, what happened?_

 **From Allison (8:19 am):** _I’m not sure what’s happening, Stiles looks upset again._

“Wait, Derek, but what about before Hawaii?”

“What?"

“In Hawaii, before we started kissing, I was convinced you hated me.”

Oh yeah. Allison remembers this.

“No Stiles, I never hated you. I couldn't. That was...that was just another stupid misunderstanding.”

“Okay, so explain it to me? Because I felt bad about that for _weeks_. Didn't really help my already lame self-esteem.”

 **From Danny (8:20 am):** _You are breaking my husband’s heart right now, Alli. What’s going on?_

 **From Allison (8:20 am):** _Stiles wants to know why Derek was so rude to him before that night in Hawaii._

 **From Scott (8:21 am):** _That’s a valid question! Derek WAS super rude back then!_

 **From Danny (8:22 am):** _I would like you guys to know that Jackson is, for once in his life, in complete agreement with Scott. Another noteworthy moment in our lives._

“Stiles, oh man, I am _so_ sorry. I am. I will tell you over and over again."

"Just tell me what the problem was. Okay?"

"Right, well, remember when we used to talk all the time? You’d come and spend your breaks with me and I wouldn’t work the entire time you were sitting next to me?”

“Yes, of course. I _still_ miss that. That’s why I don’t understand what _happened_. What changed?”

 **From Lydia (8:23 am):** _Erica just told me what that was about. Derek’s an idiot._

Well, that’s not very helpful. Allison is torn between watching Stiles and Derek and texting Lydia back. She decides she’ll get a less biased story from Derek himself so she slips her phone in her pocket, ignoring the incoming texts.

“Well, I was talking to Erica about that one night, and I guess she let it slip that you and Isaac had dated? Not only that but you guys had been really intense, and that you were each other’s firsts?” Derek is tomato red right now, like Isaac’s sex life is the _last_ thing he wants to be talking about.

“Yeah, okay, so that what? Made you not want to be with me anymore?” Stiles is no longer touching Derek at all, he’s moved a few steps back and has his arms crossed over his chest.

Derek reaches out like he’s going to grab him, but thinks twice about it and runs his hands through his hair instead. Stiles’s eyes flick between Derek’s face and his hair and Allison wants to _cry_ at the conflicting emotions on his face.

“No, not exactly. Nothing made me not want _you_ , Stiles please, believe that.”

“So then what?” Stiles’s face has softened a little, and that’s enough for relief to color Derek’s features 

“I was just, being respectful to Isaac. You know, the _bro-code_.”

Stiles snorts, “Oh my god, you were being _noble_? Are you joking. No, of course you're not. Oh my god, come here!” Stiles grabs Derek’s hands and wraps them around his waist, placing his own hands on Derek’s shoulders.

“You weren’t going to date me because I slept with Isaac _once_ , even though he was banging your sister? You’re a good person, Derek Hale. I may not deserve you.”

Derek cringes then and almost impossibly, the blush on his cheeks deepens. The tips of his ears are bright red again and it's _terribly_ cute. “Oh my god, please never use _my sister_ and _banging_ in the same sentence again!” Stiles just giggles. “And, plus, I didn’t even know about _that_ until after Hawaii. I had planned on talking to Isaac about whether it was okay to ask you out, only to find out that he’s been slee- _dating_ my sister and that he had always wanted to set _us_ up.”

Stiles is rubbing his thumb along Derek’s neck and collarbone then, smiling sweetly and Derek lowers his head so that their foreheads are touching.

Allison pulls her phone out then, because invasion of privacy or not, this is a picture they’re gonna want in the future. She uses Snapchat to take the shot, making sure to save it to her gallery before sending the picture to Lydia, Danny, Jackson, Scott, Isaac, Cora, _and_ Melissa.

She looks at her texts and skips over Lydia telling the same story (colored with Erica’s commentary) that she just heard from Derek and send them a quick text telling them to look at their Snapchat app. Once again, she ignores the replies she receives to look back up at Stiles and Derek.

They’re actually just gazing into each other’s eyes, and Allison decides that enough is enough.

She walks into the room and clears her throat, and then watches gleefully as Stiles flails, nearly headbutts Derek and whips around towards her. Derek just looks at Stiles fondly, and a little exasperated, not moving his hands from around Stiles’s waist.

“So it’s been a little over an hour, you guys done?” She says, grinning widely at the shocked looks on both their faces.

Stiles is just _glaring_ at her, so she isn’t too surprised when Derek is the one to speak. He never once takes his eyes off Stiles though.

“Yeah, Allison, just give us a minute?”

She winks at him, and walks out of the room, stopping once again just outside the door. She can't  _not_ hear the last bit of their conversation!

“So, Stiles, I wanna do this right, okay?”

“Okay?”

“Are you free tomorrow night?”

“Are you--are you asking me out on a _date_?”

“Yes, Stiles. It’s about time don’t you think?”

“YES. Yes, yes, yes, yes. One hundred percent _yes_. I am free _all the nights_ for you, Derek. _Hell_ yes."

Allison pulls her phone out again, moving towards the front of the room to take down the ‘be back later’ sign. She _is_ really lucky to have been the one who got to be here for all of that. She can picture the wedding ceremony already. She is so officiating that one too. If Stiles doesn’t kill her before that, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hope that wasn't too difficult to read. Especially with the texting interspersed in the conversation. I tried really hard to make it super clear. 
> 
>  
> 
> THANK YOU to my beta/cheerleaders [breeisonfire](http://archiveofourown.org/users/breeisonfire/pseuds/breeisonfire), [laynacakes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/laynacakes/pseuds/laynacakes), [crazykookie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/crazykookie/pseuds/crazykookie). 
> 
> Okay, in other news..  
> It really pains me to say that this is going to be the last chapter for awhile. I'm taking my MCAT in May and I really really need to buckle down and concentrate. Unfortunately, given the option of writing fic and studying for my test, I always end up writing :(. So I just need to take away the distraction and start writing again after my test. I'm super sorry :(. Hope you guys still stick around and read it when I come back!!
> 
> THIS FIC IS NOT OVER THOUGH! There will be 4 more chapters: a Stiles POV (THE FIRST DATE!!), a Derek POV (more dates!), a Scott POV, and an Epilogue (with both Stiles and Derek POVs). :D Just something to look forward to!! 
> 
> Catch ya guys in a couple months!

**Author's Note:**

> You can always find me [here](http://hoechlinseverything.tumblr.com).


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